Six western states, with significant coal reserves, are seeking foreign markets in Asia, especially now that this nation has shifted so much power generation to natural gas. The only problem, there is no export facility to handle coal on the west coast. These states have sought to build such a terminal in Longview, WA, but Washington state has refused to grant a construction permit. Now Montana, Wyoming, Utah, South Dakota and Nebraska are all suing Washington state in federal court. More
10 Comments on Washington State Blocking Coal Exports
Comments are closed.
If you guys decide to pull the pin and set these states adrift, get me time to pack and move.
Thanks
POS Washington Governor Inslee also sinks to new level of petty by refusing to sign certificates for marksmanship champs
signhttp://mynorthwest.com/1112081/governor-inslee-marksmanship-certificates/
Here in Washington we have a saying, “None of us is as dumb as all of us”. Collectively we can out dumb just about anybody.
What else would expect from a bunch of green weenie anti progressive Luddites? This does not surprise me at all.
Here in Michigan we are forced to accept out of state and even out of country (Ontario,Canada) trash because of federal commerce laws. If we are forced to take imports of garbage because of laws, why can’t they be forced to provide export facility? (The only thing we here in Michigan can do is raise landfill fees to discourage out of state/country trash but we will also have to pay the enlarged fees. As per federal judges ruling)
Should all those ship builders just close up shop up there?
Part of their #FairiesNotFerries initiative?
If this catches on, maybe Idaho could block shipments of marijuana from WA and OR to the rest of the country!
From above: “…especially now that this nation has shifted so much power generation to natural gas.”
Let me tell you a little bit about this you may not know. Some of you already know I work in the natural gas pipeline field. The big pipes, the ones cross regions and states.
We have facilities I maintain and test that serve these power plants. I take care of the ‘cash register’ that measures that gas going to those power plants. Those meters are a bit different from that gray lump you try to hide behind plants on the side of your house. Just one difference is a small power plant uses natural gas at a pressure (at my meter) of upward of a thousand pounds per square inch moving through an ten inch pipe at better than seventy feet per second.
In layman’s terms, that’s a lot of gas.
Coal plants have fuel stock piles that can run the plant anywhere from three to six weeks if fuel deliveries are interrupted.
ONE pipeline disruption can shut down a plant in seconds.
I’m not going to elaborate on how that disruption can happen for obvious reasons.
But natural gas power generation is much more ‘brittle’ than any other method we currently use to make electricity.
It’s cleaner than coal (a bit) but it has risks.
Coke, which is made from coal, is a very important fuel in the iron and steel industry.
Nobody likes a cokeblocker.
Spolied brats on the coasts are trying ot impose their standards on the coal exporting states BS