NORTHWEST INDIAN COLLEGE COAL TRAIN - Awareness Plan
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2012
NORTHWEST
INDIAN COLLEGE
COAL TRAIN
Awareness Plan
Prepared by the NWIC Coal Train
Awareness Group (C-TAG)
An all-inclusive student produced document. Involvement includes
student input from NWIC: Lummi, Muckleshoot, Tulalip & Port
gamble S’Klallam Campus’s.
N.W.I.C. C-TAG Group
Lummi Campus
2012
“If we fail to embrace the protection and tranquility of our
environment, our treaties, culture and history will only be a
memory of our elders…”
Mr. Wayne Woods, Northwest Indian College, Class Instructor
March 2012
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
.
NWIC Communication Students
Jessica Harshman
Mackenzie Revey
Dakota Jefferson
Kristina Burke
Nova Pulsifer
Ira Elkins
Taylor Jessepe
Rose Davis
Margaret Tumangday
No-Yectee-Hemeh Alexis
Claudia Griffin
Kristina Garrison
Brittany Cagey
Cyrus Hatch
James Jackson
Cherie Mault
NWIC Staff Guidance:
Mr. Wayne Woods
Photo Contributors:
Northwest Indian College
Western Washington University
University of Washington
Everett Herald
Tulalip Tribes
Northwest Indian College
Comprehensive Coal Train Document
Chapter 1: Introduction
BACKGROUND
The Northwest Indian College (NWIC) Coal Train Comprehensive Plan has been written and
established in order to highlight official student concern in the economic, physical environment,
and personal health concerns arenas. The plan is intended to be used as a tool to promote the
general health, safety, and welfare of current Lummi tribal members as well as other surrounding
tribes, future Lummi generations and local environment. This plan has also been written
understanding that there is also a balancing needed for further economic growth. In the future the
NWIC Coal Train Awareness Group also hopes that this plan is used to better educate both
Tribal and Non-Tribal community members as well as other communities along the proposed
railways.
Along with the Lummi-specific aims of the plan, the NWIC Coal Train Awareness Group (NWIC CTAG) has also recognized Non-tribal Community impacts on and off the reservation. This style of inclusion is a reflection of the diverse NWIC community and the understanding that all things on earth are intertwined. Lummi Reservation as Taught by Our Elders Lummi is a special place- a spectacularly beautiful area on the eastern shore of Washington states’ Puget Sound. It is the CTAG groups understanding and knowledge, that all things are connected and our survivability both now and in the future is directly tied to the health of our environment. This plan highlights our creative understanding of economics while also highlighting our understanding that we, as educated youth are simply the current stewards of an environment with resources that are not endless. The C-TAG Group also understands that if allowed development would need to be specially located to avoid damage to our environment. CTAG Group also knows that our sensitive environment is the backbone of our tribal lifestyle and culture. The following are maps purposely placed early in the plan to highlight the area of proposed train movement and location as per the Lummi Nation.
Train Flow Plan
Chapter Two: Environment Air Quality Pollutants that diminish air quality with in the Lummi community come from both natural and manmade sources. Natural sources include: dust, smoke from fire, dust blown in from storms and debris left after volcanic activity. Manmade items that demist air quality on the Lummi reservation include utilities, manufacturing and petroleum refinement as well as mobile activates such as cars, trucks, boats, lawn mowers, plans and trains. Current Air Quality Conditions For most of the year, outdoor air quality on the Lummis reservation is rated “good” based on state and tribal departments and agencies. The reservation and surround area is presently in compliance with national ambient quality standards.
With the proposed plan for the Gateway Pacific Terminal there are many factors to consider.
One of which is the impacts and degradation of air quality caused from the coal trains. With the
air quality in topic there a two major factors aiding in pollution; coal dust and diesel fuel
emissions. These two issues have a major critical factor in weighing the pros to the cons.
Pollution is an ongoing battle in today’s society and with the implementation of this plan it is a
vital factor to take into consideration.
SSA Marines estimation for coal export is 48 million metric tons, let’s put that number
for what it really is – 105 billion pounds. That number seems much higher than 48 million
metric tons but when we do the math it really puts the mind boggling number into perspective.
The estimation for the GPT proposal lists 125-150 rail cars full (a mile and a half in length) of
uncovered hard coal. The estimation from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail studies is that
each car will blow off 500-2,000 pounds of coal dust per trip from Powder River Basin to the
Northwest. Well, when we break this down, the number is incredible. Calculating per car at 500
pounds this would put the number at 62,500 to 75,000 pounds of coal dust to blow off per train.
Annually this puts the calculation of nine full train loads daily at 365 days a year at a staggering
205,312,500 to 246,375,000 pounds of a highly toxic pollutant in the air. Almost a quarter of a
billion pounds, this number is astronomical! Its effects will be devastating on the environment.
There hasn't been a cap on the number of trains possible listed in this proposal. This is just an
estimate so it is rather easy to speculate that with more shipments there will be more money to be
made making it much easier to raise the amounts of coal to be shipped to Cherry Point and
exported for SSA Marine. The number of trains could be much higher than expected. Thus,
making the previous numbers of coal dust to be possibly even higher. On top of this issue, it is
uncertain as to who is going to foot the bill in regards to mitigation measures of how to control
the situation of containing the coal dust in adverse conditions such as harsh weather from wind
and the natural elements.
The diesel outpour of toxic fumes and matter from these coal trains is rather
alarming also. With coal being so heavy, approximately 286,000 pounds per train car, it will take
4-5 diesel locomotives to pull these loads, as compared to the average 1 locomotive per train. So
this more than quadruples the diesel particulate matter released into the air per train. With an
average of 15 trains traveling through Bellingham this more than doubles the train traffic, from
15 to 33 (est.). When adding the coal train into the equation and on top of that, that diesel output
is up to 80 -100 locomotives in a daily coal train run. This is an increase of 500-600% of diesel
output. With the trains being so heavy they will have to take longer ground routes that will add
even more pollution to the air, it is pretty obvious that these numbers are way too high and very
alarming.
Both of these factors also have a great affect in global warming. Global warming
is on the rise and it is not an advantageous situation to us inhabitants. It is going to have a
downward spiral effect if we don't utilize and treat our fossil fuels properly. Specifically how we
go about refining and transporting these resources. We keep using minimal regulation and “turn
the cheek” methods of how we deal with the effects of pollutants in our world.Transportation Issues Cherry Point has three existing loading terminals; BP, Intalco, and ConocoPhillips. These three terminals have 850 transits per year. This is about three transits per day. Each terminal can load two boats at once, so why another terminal? Peabody Energy, one of the largest coal companies in the world wants a terminal that can handle cape-size vessels. Cape-size ships are vessels too large to cross the Panama Canal. Cape-size vessels can hold up to 140,000 metric tons, which is 80,000 more than panamax vessels. If the Gateway Pacific Terminal proposal is approved, shipping traffic will double. Nearly all of the ships will be panamax or capesize vessels. Cherry
point is a prime location for Peabody as it would be three days closer to Asia, than the nearest terminal that can handle cape-size ships. Pacific Terminal proposal approval would add 221 to 487 annual transits by 2025 and after phase two is finished. Most of these trips would be completed by panamax and capesize ships. Traffic increase of 60 percent is predicted in the Rosario Strait which is already congested because of its one-way path for deep draft vessel traffic. Photo of possible Cherry Point site. Below is a picture of current coal transportation method in China.
Train/Coal Mining Effects Environment
The coal train will affect people who are ranching and people who own agriculture properties;
usually these properties are very large and have a rail road that cuts through it. With the
increased amount of trains that they say will be running each day, it will make these lands more
dangerous and difficult for farmers to tend to their crops. These trains are a threat to our food
sources.
Coal mining and strip mining means they will be scraping away earth and rocks to get to
coal that is buried near the surface. Through this process of mining, mountains are blasted apart
to reach the thin coal seams that are inside of it leaving permanent damage on the landscape as a
result. Strip mining destroys landscapes, forests and wildlife habitats at the site of the mine
where trees, plants, and topsoil are cleared from the mining area. This usually leads to soil
erosion and destruction of land that could be used for agricultural land. From time to time, coal
mining disturbs whole communities because they are forced off their land by expanding minesCoal mining affects thousands of acres of land in the US, numbers as large as 1930 and 2000 acres. Coal mining disturbed about 5.9 million acres of natural landscape, and most of it was originally forest. An attempt to re-seed some of the land that was destroyed by coal mining and this was difficult because the mining process had done such severe damage to the soil. For example, in Montana, replanting projects had a success rate of only 20-30 percent, while in some places in Colorado only 10 percent of oak aspen seedlings that were planted survived. In China, coal mining has really harmed the quality of land; an estimated 3.2 million acres were harmed, according to a 2004 estimate. The overall restoration rate of a mine wasteland was only about 10–12 percent. Below is a picture or a current east coast mine.
Cost
The Terminal would cost between $500 and $700 million dollars. BNSF railway, Gateway
Pacific Terminal, Goldman Sachs, Peabody energy, Berkshire Hathaway, and Carrix/SSA marine
are all investors in this project that they would like to pursue. SSA marine promotes the fact that
they will pay ten million annually in taxes, although federal law prohibits railroads from paying
more than ten percent. Taxpayers would have to help pay for building the infrastructure to
support additional rail traffic. It is unclear as to who might pay for any safety measures, or
improvements. There are also mitigation costs and by law, are normally borne by the shipper, in
this case would be Peabody and SSA Marine. Overpasses could cost millions, if not billions of
dollars. Research is being done to assess how many critical crossings would require grade
separation (Building a single grade separation can easily cost $20 million). It is stated that the
profits to be made from transporting and exporting coal would go to the interested parties: SSA
marine, Peabody, BNSF railroad, etc.
Health Effects
In an article of The Coal Train Facts it states that, the leaching of toxic heavy metals from
coal ash into water supplies is a proven problem. Exposure to arsenic, cadmium, barium,
chromium, selenium, lead and mercury can cause any number of health problems, including
cancers and neurological diseases. It is unknown if and to what extent these heavy metals might
leach out from the coal and/or fugitive coal dust, from the train cars and at the terminal storage
site, into local water supplies and into the marine environment. There are potential implications
for the safety of the water we drink and the seafood we eat (facts, coal train facts/ coal dust ).Also, in this article it goes on to say that the scale of the proposed terminal would require a dramatic increase in the number of diesel-burning locomotives and marine vessels affecting Puget Sound air sheds. Diesel particulate matter is a particularly noxious form of air pollution, as it is of sufficiently small size (PM 2.5) to embed in the lung tissue. Diesel particulate matter is associated with both pulmonary and cardiovascular issues, including cancers, heart disease, and asthma. Children, teens and the elderly are especially vulnerable. Noise exposure can cause cardiovascular disease; cognitive impairment in children; sleep disturbance and resultant fatigue; hypertension; arrhythmia; and increased rate of accidents and injuries; and exacerbation of mental health disorders such as depression, stress and anxiety, and psychosis. Transporting coal to China in particular has the potential to raise levels of mercury in our waters. Mercury is associated with neurological dysfunction, as in ALS, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s (facts, coal train facts/ coal dust ). In the absence of data from proprietary internal studies conducted by BNSF, as noted above, it is difficult to accurately predict the airborne respirable dust load for our specific community from the proposed transport of coal to and from the Gateway Pacific Terminal. Quite apart from the respirable fraction, however, fugitive coal dust emissions are an undeniable and costly nuisance pollutant to businesses and residences along a rail line, or near a coal terminal, with substantial economic impact simply due to the need for frequent cleaning (Cope et al 1994, from a British Columbia study). Finally, coal dust in all size fractions contains varying amounts of heavy metal contaminant such as Lead, Mercury, Chromium (Sharma and Singh 1991) and Uranium, particularly in coals from the Powder River Basin.
Whether this contamination will lead to a substantial health impact deserves further study, in the
form of a formal assessment by the Department of Health, or within the context of a
comprehensive environmental impact study.
In summary, airborne fugitive coal dust emissions will occur from the transport of coal to
and from the Gateway Pacific Terminal, the largest coal terminal ever proposed for the
west coast of North America. These emissions will certainly result in nuisance pollution.
The health effects for our community’s citizens can be predicted, but not known, for many years
to come (facts, APPENDIX B: Health Impacts of Coal Dust).
In a careful review of the data published in peer-reviewed medical journals shows that:
Diesel particulate matter is associated with:
impaired pulmonary development in adolescents;
increased cardiopulmonary mortality and all-cause mortality;
measurable pulmonary inflammation;
increased severity and frequency of asthma attacks, ER visits, and hospital admissions in
children;
increased rates of myocardial infarction (heart attack) in adults;
increased risk of cancer.
Coal dust is associated with:
chronic bronchitis;
emphysema;pulmonary fibrosis (pneumoconiosis);
environmental contamination through the leaching of toxic heavy metals
Noise exposure causes:
cardiovascular disease, including increased blood pressure, arrhythmia,
stroke, and ischemic heart disease;
cognitive impairment in children;
sleep disturbance and resultant fatigue, hypertension, arrhythmia, and increased rate of
accidents and injuries;
exacerbation of mental health disorders such as depression, stress and anxiety, and
psychosis.
Frequent long trains at rail crossings will mean:
delayed emergency medical service response times;
increased accidents, traumatic injury and death.
(facts, coal train facts/whatcom docs position statement and appendices )
Labor Issues
After reading a few different articles about the employment concerning the coal train, we have
noticed that in each article they describe a different number of job opportunities. We read about
the employment/jobs in two different websites, one website being the www.coaltrainfacts.org
and another being www.nationalgeographic.com.In the Coal Train Facts article it states that there will be 89 full time jobs, and depending on demand, the number could grow to 160 jobs by 2017 and 213 jobs by 2026. Also by 2026, the Project Information Document (PID) projects 8 loaded trains (round trips) per day of 150 cars each. And logistics might create more jobs if its ambitions are actually to move 20 to 60 million tons of coal per year. In the National Geographic article, it states that the port operator; SSA Marine, promises a number of 1,250 permanent jobs and $200 million annually in new economic activity. Bellingham’s economy has suffered significantly with that the nation with unemployment about 9% this year. SSA Marine promises to make the Gateway Pacific Terminal project the largest shipping over two years of construction, the project would provide jobs for an estimated 3,500 to 4,00 workers. Also in this article the writer interviewed Bellingham’s mayor Dan Pike. In his interview he describes how it is very challenging to say no to this project considering that many people have been without jobs for so long and can’t find any work. Pike also has doubt that the coal port would ultimately provide as much long-term employment as promised. “Why would we risk 10,000 jobs for a few hundred?” says Dan Pike. Over all we feel that Dan Pikes statement is true, why would we risk so many jobs for a few hundred? We know it must be tempting and that it would help a lot of people and families but it is hurting our environment, and the beautiful land where the Gateway Pacific project may be located. If it is placed there then our land on Cherry Point will be destroyed. The coal train may create some jobs in that area, but it will also cause jobs to be lost. Because the coal train is going to cause so much pollution in the air and water it can cause red tides and fishermen cannot go get shell fish and are going to lose money on that. Not only that it can cause
the fish to die off and if not kill all the fish but it can make them so polluted that they cannot be fished because they have so much pollution in them. Below is a picture of where coal will be pulled from. This photo is used to show how large or an area people are willing to explode to produce the above mentioned jobs.
Chapter Three: Tribal Rights and Fishing Fishing Issues Partly due to its deep water feature, Cherry Point has been an especially rich and fertile marine area. The waters around Cherry Point have traditionally been part of abundant salmon and lingcod fisheries. There has also been a vigorous recreational, commercial, and tribal Dungeness crab fishery. Damages to the local herring population would result in damages to the salmon and lingcod fisheries, as herring are a primary source of nutrition for these fish. Heavily increased marine traffic could result in losses both the fisheries and the fisherman, as crabbing gear can be destroyed or carried away by large marine vessels. Herring Populations, Eelgrass Beds and Fisheries:
According to the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve Management Plan, there are several factors that could disturb the already fragile herring population. Light, noise, shading, and movement from the terminal and/or from marine vessels could disrupt herring spawning. Many fish, mammals, and aquatic birds are dependent upon herring, including: Pacific Cod, Lingcod, halibut, Chinook salmon, harbor seals, herons, western grebes, common murres, rhinoceros auklets, tufted puffins, orcas, seals, sea lions, Dall’s porpoises and surf scoters. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has extensively studied the Cherry Point herring population and its decline. Their website contains a study called “Covered Species Paper” that documents the health of the Cherry Point Pacific herring population (see pps. 3-80 through 3-87). Two state agencies, Puget Sound Partnership (PSP) and DNR, have been studying eelgrass in the Puget Sound because it is a preferred habitat for herring spawn deposition. PSP has just adopted “Recovery Targets” for Puget Sound eelgrass. Much has been written about the decline of anadromous fisheries in the Puget Sound. Anadromous fish are those that are born in fresh water, live their lives in salt water, and then return to fresh water to spawn. Salmon and smelt are examples. The importance of estuaries in marine life can not be overstated; a healthy estuarial system is critical to the survival of certain species. DNR has done a study on threatened and covered species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as a part of its “Aquatic Lands Habitat Conservation Plan.” You can also see the National Marine Fisheries Service website, which administers the ESA and recovery planning for listed species. Twenty tribes that comprise the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. Lummi, Muckleshoot, Nisqually and Tulalip, harvested 53 million salmon in 1985; by 2000, the number had
plummeted to 500,000. These tribes, whose members once earned a decent living from catching
and selling salmon now face unemployment rates more than ten times the national average.
Tribal Issues
1) TRADITION
a) Loss of traditional land
b) Unable to use land to preserve for future generations
c) It is a conflict between tribal traditions and economic self-sufficiency that has long divided
people here and on other reservations across America with coal, oil and gas and other mineral
reserves.
Tuesday September 8, 2009
Powder River Basin Photos - ExactRail's Johnstown America AutoFlood II
As you know, unit coal trains travel the Powder River Basin almost endlessly and ExactRail's Johnstown
America AutoFlood II is frequently on paradeIn 1923, a tribal government was established, to help meet the increasing desires of American oil companies to lease Navajo land for exploration. Navajo government has evolved into the largest and most sophisticated form of American Indian government. The Navajo Nation Council Chambers hosts 88 council delegates representing 110 Navajo Cheyenne tribes, like many other plains Indians, were eventually forced off their land and onto reservations. Today, the Northern Cheyenne reside primarily in Montana on their own reservations.
Economic Need Clashes with Tribe's Culture in Montana
Published in USA Today on March 3, 2009
LAME DEER, Mont. — Jobs are scarce and poverty is pervasive on the Northern Cheyenne
Indian Reservation, but rich coal deposits lie beneath the buttes where wild horses roam. For
decades, many members of the tribe have resisted coal mining. Now, increased demand for coal
and the election of a new tribal president who is determined to create jobs are reigniting debate
over energy development among the reservation's 4,500 residents. It's a conflict between tribal
traditions and economic self-sufficiency that has long divided people here and on other
reservations across America with coal, oil and gas and other mineral reserves.
Tribal Rights and Impacts
If the proposed Gateway project is approved it will be violating the rights of Lummi Indian
Reservation and the Indian Reservations along the railroad which the coal will be traveling.
Impact on the Lummi Nation
a. Indian Hunting and Fishing Rights such stated in Article 5 of the Point Elliott
Treaty of 1955. “The right of taking fish at usual and accustomed grounds and
stations is further secured to say Indians in common with all citizens of the
Territory, and of erecting temporary houses for the purpose of curing, togetherwith the privilege of hunting and gathering roots and berries on open and
unclaimed lands. Provided, however, that they shall not take shellfish from any
beds staked or cultivated by citizens.”
b. Clean Water Act. Pollutants build up in the water used in the power plant
boiler and cooling system. If the water used in the power plant is discharged to a
lake or river or sea, the pollutants in the water can harm fish and plants. Also if
rain falls on coal stored in piles outside the power plant, the water that runs off
these piles can flush heavy metals from the coal, such as arsenic and lead into
nearby bodies of water.
Impact on Indian Reservations along the BNSF coal railroad
a. Clean Water Act. Coal mining contaminates bodies of water with heavy metals
when the water used to clean the coal is discharged back into the environment.
b. Water rights. Winters Doctrine. “Indian reservations are created by congress
with the intention of making them habitable and productive, and whatever water
is necessary to meet this goal is reserved by implication of the tribe’s use.” The
pollutants of the coal dust would pollute water supply that is accessible to Indian
Reservations along the coal railroad.
If the rights of Indian and Tribes was violated
a. Article I, section 8, clause 3 of the Constitution gives Congress the power to
regulate commerce with Indian Tribes.b. Trust relationship between the tribe and the United States, a relationship that requires the federal government to enhance, not injure tribal interests. Supreme Court explained in a 1989 case interpreting several Indian treaties: “Accordingly, it is the intention of the parties, and not solely that of the superior side, that must control any attempt to interpret the treaties. When Indians are involved, the Court has long given special meaning to this rule. It has held that the United States, as the party with presumptively superior negotiating skills and superior knowledge of the language in which the treaty is recorded, has a responsibility to avoid taking advantage of the other side. The treaty must therefore be construed, not according to the technical meaning of its words to learned lawyers, but in the sense in which they would naturally be understood by the Indians”. c. Cases that would back up the violation of the rights. Winters v. United States, January 6, 1908. Washington v. Washington State Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel Association, July 2, 1979. Union Pacific Railroad Company Settlement, February 9, 2012. National Environmental Policy Act.
Summary The students of NWIC fully acknowledge that we will be responsible for the planning and development of resources of our future generations. We also know that the protection of current resources is our given responsibility and our duty to our community members and elders. With this in mind, we understanding that long range planning is a fundamental process for as large a project as the SSA Marine proposal. As we became familiar with the project’s scope of work, published studies, and published opinions, we started to ask about the basic facts about the effects of the completed project. We questioned the process of completing the process. But most importantly, we asked about the official return on investment to the U. S. economy, Washington State economy and Whatcom/Lummi communities economies. Finally, we addressed the impacts to the environment of our community and if the impacts could be mitigated over time. The NWIC C-TAG teams’ final conclusion on the SSA Marine project was negative. Although many business students sought to find a silver lining to defend possible job growth, no positive information was found to support this. In addition there was no definite job growth or revenue generating parts of the project that would be large enough to mitigate the impacts on commerce, traffic or environment along the train’s travel path. Throughout the study the NWIC C-TAG team also encountered a plethora of misinformation and inflated numbers by those proposing the project. This project has some possibilities of being successful, environmentally safe, and profitable. However, at this point a number of planning issues still need to be addressed. There have not been enough studies on the impact on traffic. As presently proposed, the project does little to create and assure long lasting employment for the community. The unanimous consensus of our group is that the negative far outweighs the positive and that the Lummi Nation should deny access to SSA Marina though our land.
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