Dear
Tell Governor Inslee: We Need Your Voice in the Fight Against Coal Exports! Washington Governor Jay Inslee |
Tell Governor Inslee: We need your voice in the fight against coal exports!
The climate crisis dominated much of Governor Jay Inslee's first press conference since taking office, leading him to call coal exports, "the largest decision we will be making as a state from a carbon pollution standpoint certainly during my lifetime and nothing comes even close to it."1
And boy is he right! As proposed, coal exports terminals in the Pacific Northwest would burn 145 million tons of coal producing as much carbon pollution for 52 million cars every single year.2,3
If built, these coal terminals will exacerbate climate disruption that already fuels massive wildfires, causes our oceans to be more acidic damaging our local shellfish industry and makes winters shorter and milder harming our local winter sports economy. But strong leadership against coal exports can curb climate disruption and protect our Northwestern way of life.
While coal exports is a climate nightmare, we also know that coal is bad for our health, safety, air and water, and local business. Governor Inslee must defend Washington from these destructive projects.
The first step is to join elected leaders from all over the region in calling for an area-wide study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of what the impacts are to our state, our region and the world.
Governor Inslee has a reputation for being a leader on clean energy and climate, and has a clean energy agenda for the state that will protect our environment and put us back to work -- but exporting coal does not fit in with that vision.
Thanks for all you do to protect the environment,
Robin Everett
Beyond Coal Campaign
Sierra Club
P.S. After you take action, be sure to forward this alert to your friends and colleagues!
[1] Goad, Jessica, Governor Inslee Calls Coal Exports 'The Largest Decision We Will Be Making As A State From A Carbon Pollution Standpoint', Think Progress, Climate Progress. 22 January 2013.
[2] Clean Energy, Calculations and References, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1 February 2013.
[3] de Place, Eric, Coal Exports and Carbon Consequencess II, Sightline Daily. 23 May 2012.