Public Hearing - EISs for the Proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal ...

11/3/2012
1 habitat for the sand lance for resting, feeding, and
2 reproduction.
3 And the direct impact that I'm concerned
4 about is the physical disturbance of the forage fish
5 habitat by shipping activity, including nearshore
6 maneuvering and the anchoring of ships and tugs.
7 The cumulative impacts I'm concerned about
8 are the changes in the bottom structure caused by
9 infrastructure like docks and moorings, plus the
10 accumulation of coal dust in the bottom substrate.
11 That coal dust could change the patterns of
12 sedimentation, change the formations of those critical
13 sand waves, plus there might be toxicity issues with
14 those as well. With the fish burying themselves in
15 that sand, in that top layer of sand, that's a
16 critical thing to look at.
17 This could impact the commercial sport and
18 tourism industries.
19 And in addition to that, I think that this
20 study should include an area from Point Whitehorn to
21 Point Migley offshore for at least one mile, and other
22 impacts that could be impacted by wood ships waiting
23 to get in or out of the facility, like Bellingham and
24 Samish Bays.
25 These studies should be peer reviewed and
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