Coal train
Two companies are pushing to make Washington a major player in the international coal trade. One has sought to ship up to 60 million tons of coal a year from refurbished docks near the Columbia River’s mouth. The other plans to build a major shipping terminal near Bellingham, and has a contract to export 24 million tons of Rocky Mountain coal a year. … Just as Washington weans itself off coal, it could be positioned as the nation’s leading exporter of the fossil fuel.
The possibility has sparked a fierce debate: If coal is so dirty that Washington shouldn’t use it, should the state serve as a conduit for shipping it overseas? At a time of economic turmoil for the state and nation — when the U.S. trade deficit with China tops a quarter-trillion dollars a year — can Washington afford not to?