Bellingham Comments from Digital Recorder - EISs for the Proposed ...

GATEWAY PACIFIC TERMINAL EIS SCOPING HEARING VOL. II
COURT REPORTER: BETH DRUMMOND PROCEEDING DATE: October 27, 2012
Page 18
1 to know how such a proposal would affect my son's life, both
2 directly and indirectly. I would respectfully request that
3 Environmental Impact Statement includes studies pertaining
4 to public health and safety. What are the various forms of
5 pollution emitted by coal trains, the coal port, and the
6 coal ships, and how might these pollutions affect human
7 health?
8 Will the coal trains pose any safety hazards?
9 Will emergency responses be delayed because of the coal
10 trains? How will chronic exposure to train noise,
11 especially the whistle blasts that wake my son at night,
12 affect sleep, school performance, and overall well-being?
13 How will mercury and other pollutions caused by
14 the combustion of coal we export to Asia affect our air and
15 water safety?
16 I would also request that the EIS include studies
17 that concern study of life. My son and I often play at
18 Boulevard Park, which, according to an analysis, would be
19 blocked from vehicular access by both trains and additional
20 rail siding.
21 How might our enjoyment of this place we call
22 home be impacted by becoming a coal transportation corridor?
23 How would a radical change in our regional identity affect
24 our community and our opportunities?
25 And finally, I would respectfully request that