Wednesday links and action!

 Petition to sign
if you are not on Lynne's weekly email list, please sign this petition to receive timely updates. Ask all your friends to sign! When she hits 10K, she will print a hard copy for Gov Inslee.

Harper and Enbridge's Massive Angry Inch Problem

via Dogwood Initiative

Just before the meeting ended I addressed the elephant in the room, which we had only been circling around until then. I told him, “You are aware, aren’t you, that Enbridge has to get approvals from the feds and province, Enbridge has to get all the affected communities and First Nations on side, and then Enbridge has to build approximately 1,173 km of pipeline through some of the most difficult terrain ever attempted. In contrast, all we, the opposition, have to do is to stop one inch.”

His response was illuminating. CEO Daniel told me, “I’m painfully aware of that.”

 

Oil Train Concerns

via Q13Fox  Video!

Minnesota town issues traffic tickets to BNSF railroad

via KARE11 Video!

"Last year the delays became worse, an average of 45 minutes," Hodge said. "It's not uncommon for people to sit and wait that long for a train to come across."

Hodges said that when city officials held a meeting with railroad executives to discuss the delays the streets were tied up for more than 40 minutes.

He called it a public safety issue because there are no real options for fire trucks and emergency vehicles to get around the trains in a hurry. The rail line dissects the town into two sections. The fire department and the hospital are south of the tracks, while the ambulance service and long-term senior housing is on the north side.

"We've had a fire on one side of the tracks, fire department on the other side of the tracks, they can't get to the fire," Hodge explained.

So far the tickets issued to BNSF add up to about $1,200, but the railroad is fighting it. The railroad will send representatives to court in Willmar June 19, in an effort to argue that federal rail regulation trump state traffic law.

Coal export facility could get state subsidy

via Portland Tribune

The port is seeking $2 million in state funds for each of two projects to allow its 70-year-old docks to accommodate the latest ocean-going ships, instead of barges. These are known as Panamax-class ships, which will be able to navigate a widened Panama Canal.

The Columbia River dredging project, which deepened the channel from 40 to 43 feet, was completed in 2010.
The Berth 2 reconstruction project would be matched with $3 million from Ambre Energy, the Australian company seeking permits to ship coal mined in Wyoming's Powder River basin to Asia. The money would be put up by a subsidiary, Pacific Transloading. 

The Berth 1 extension project would be matched by $4.6 million from Global Partners, owner of Columbia Pacific Bio-Refinery, whose plant is next to the dock. The project would allow greater shipments of ethanol and crude oil.