Two Longview City Council members say their recent trip to a Wyoming coal mine operated by Millennium Bulk Terminals’ parent company has renewed their desire for a comprehensive study of multiple coal export terminals proposed in the Pacific Northwest.
Last month, Tom Hutchinson and Mary Jane Melink toured the Black Thunder coal mine, which is located about 40 miles south of Gillette, Wyo. A two-page report is available online at www.mylongview.com.
Hutchinson said he was impressed by the company’s emphasis on safety and efforts to suppress coal dust, but he still believes the federal government should conduct a “programmatic” environmental review of six proposed coal terminals in Washington and Oregon.