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

11/3/2012
1 I have a working knowledge of marine biology
2 and the environmental impacts of the proposed GPT.
3 GPT threatens the recovery of salmon in San
4 Juan County and may negate the $200 million spent on
5 Salish Sea salmon recovery.
6 In this scoping opportunity, I request the
7 EIS carefully analyze the impacts to salmon recovery
8 from GPT marine transportation and climate
9 change/ocean acidification.
10 Recent scientific research conducted in the
11 San Juan Islands demonstrates that juvenile salmon,
12 including listed species from the Salish Sea Basin,
13 utilize our nearshore waters for rearing and
14 migration.
15 Moreover, forage fish that support salmon;
16 including herring, surf smelt and sand lance, utilize
17 our beaches and shallow nearshore waters for spawning,
18 rearing, and feeding.
19 Our high value fish habitats are adjacent to
20 the marine transportation routes from the GPT.
21 We know from Exxon Valdez that juvenile
22 salmon and herring are highly vulnerable to oil
23 spills.
24 We also know that transporting some
25 46 million tons of coal per year through Rosario and
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