Just wait 'til all of those salmon and the salmon-eaters get a load of the mercury, lead, nickel, manganese, cobalt, other soluble metals, sulphur, and radioactive isotope storm runoff and fugitive dust emissions into the river from those coal piles along the rr tracks, giant store piles, and barges.

Soluble metals in the water prevent salmonids from finding their spawning grounds.

Another nail in the salmon and indigenous salmon peoples' collective coffins.

Hey, just put a bird on it!

How about a dying vulture?

Here's the Seattle Times's (AP) report Wednesday:

"Legal documents filed by environmentalists indicate the Port of St. Helens is talking with a coal export developer. The Port of Morrow near Boardman recently signed a lease option with Australian coal giant Ambre Energy to shift Montana and Wyoming coal from trains to river barges, a move that could open more Northwest ports for coal export.

Currently, the only West Coast coal export terminal is in British Columbia."
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015330653_aporcoalterminals1stldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

But perhaps this can be averted:

"The activity has caught the attention of Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, a Democrat with strong backing from environmental groups. In a statement to The Oregonian on Tuesday, Kitzhaber stopped short of taking a position on coal terminals, with his staff noting that no port or developer has contacted the governor's office about one.

But development of a terminal 'should not happen in the dead of night,' Kitzhaber said. 'We must have an open, vigorous public debate before any projects move forward.""

"Blah, blah, blah," Kitzhaber said.

Let's see, in the end, what Kitzhaber does -- or doesn't do.

*Take two bags of money, and call me in the morning*

p.s. -- the coal goes by rail, so it must be green, right?

Just wait 'til all of those salmon and the salmon-eaters get a load of the mercury, lead, nickel, manganese, cobalt, other soluble metals, sulphur, and radioactive isotope storm runoff and fugitive dust emissions into the river from those coal piles along the rr tracks, giant store piles, and barges.

Coal is already transported through the Columbia Gorge courtesy of the BNSF Railway (to a coal fired power plant in Centralia.)

And thanks to PGE, your electric provider, the Columbia Gorge suffers from air pollution at the hands of the Boardman Power Plant which provides a non-insignificant amount of your power.

When the salmon no longer return to the rivers, the people will follow their demise shortly thereafter. We were told this by our elders.

Sheila,
Wisdom apparently is an old fashioned concept now. So very sad, as it does appear we are on that demise path.

Leaders are on the "money trumps all" and have been for far too long and who knows how long it may take to turn around to "human concerns trump all" if ever.

or....being really cynical I might add that who knows how long it may take to turn around to "human concerns even considered at all" and that needs to extend to not only human but all living things.

clinamen - The greedheads think their massive money piles will protect them from natural consequences or maybe they don't consider things like the planet at all. Unfortunately, I doubt they will come to reality until it's way too late for all of us. And rolling into space won't be a cakewalk for those used to the easy life.