The Millennium Bulk Terminal project in Longview appears to be the last new mega-project standing that has the potential to create jobs for exporting coal and other commodities from Washington State. And if the public hearings this week in Longview are any indication, the extreme environmental lobby will not let the possibility of thousands of family-wage jobs being created stand in the way of pushing their political agenda.
The Daily News reports that “hundreds of people showed up Monday afternoon to have their say on the latest federal environmental review of a proposed coal terminal in Longview….About 400 people attended the afternoon session at the Cowlitz County Expo Center in Longview. About 350 more attended the night session.”
The public hearings provided supporters and opponents to weigh in on the 3,400-page “draft environmental study” released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last month. And judging from the comments, the battle lines are largely drawn.
As one proponent said, “ ‘I don’t know how you put bread on your table, but this is how honest, hard-working people do it,’ said Dave Gillihan of Longview, a Millennium employee who said several generations of his family have worked on the former Reynolds Co. site where the terminal would be built.”
But the debate will continue, as the paper notes that “the public comment period on the study ends Nov. 29. Visit www.millenniumbulkeiswa.gov to learn ways to comment.”
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