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
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1 This coal is choking our earth. We need to
2 figure out how we're going to protect our kids, my kids, and
3 the kids after those, and how are they going to get the same
4 experience that I did growing up here in the Pacific
5 Northwest that we all should have for many, many years after
6 this.
7
8 MS. STRAUSZ-CLARK: 30, 31 and 32. 30 you're at
9 the microphone. 31 and 32 you're at the desk.
10 Please state your name for the record.
11 THE SPEAKER: My name is Matt Petryni. I am an
12 organizer for the Resources for Sustainable Communities, and
13 I'm here to speak about some of the potential marine impacts
14 of this terminal.
15 The coal terminal's emissions, shipping, and
16 runoff threatens our salmon fisheries and critical natural
17 resources. Salmon fishing jobs are extremely important in
18 this county. They are a way of life. They are a livelihood
19 for many people, and it's helped many people in this
20 community continue to feed their children.
21 Endangered species in ballasts' water, physical
22 destruction of our ships in trucking, runoff, coal dust
23 emissions, and the threat of accidents all pose huge risks
24 for our local marine system and the economy resources that
25 our fisheries provide.