Comment EI-19885
Received or sent (printed as 1/11/2013)
To: US Surface Transportation Board Docket No. FD 30186 Attention of: Mr. Ken Blodgett From: Dolores Andersen Resident of Missoula, Montana The environmental impact statement for the proposed Tongue River Railroad should analyze the following: Why is this project and the increase in exporting of coal to China even being considered!? The mining of coal and the infrastructure required to export it to China uses our tax dollars in the form of subsidies directly and indirectly. How can we afford this? How can this be justified? How much in direct and indirect subsidies are going to be used or are already being used? The People’s Republic of China is the world’s largest consumer of coal, using more coal each year than the United States, the European Union and Japan combined. Coal power has been the dominate source of energy used to fuel the rapid economic development of China. Many carbon-industries in the U.S. are moving to China because of the less stringent environmental codes, cheap labor and vast coal resources How can our economy afford the job loss that is a result of this coal going to China? China’s leaders have vowed to improve their nation’s energy efficiency, but have been reluctant to approve the extra spending to do that. Every week to ten days, another coal-fired plant opens somewhere in China using old style equipment; equipment that has a 75 year lifespan. China’s coal-produced air pollution reaches the United States. Studies show that particles of iron, titanium and other elements are being sent airborne and are reaching the U.S. These particles are dense enough that, at maximum levels during the spring , they account for a fifth or more of the maximum levels of particles allowed by the latest federal air quality standards. These particles effect the higher elevations and not lower lying cities like Seattle. Over the course of a year, Chinese pollution averages 10 to 15 percent of allowable levels of particles. How is this increased air pollution being monitored? How is this increased air pollution being mitigated? Renewable energy is the future, not fossil fuels How can we say NO to this project? Dolores Andersen (406) 493-0606
Submitted by: Dolores Andersen · Missoula, Montana
The Board publishes this comment in its environmental-comment table for this proceeding. It is quoted here as printed; nothing is inferred from it, and it states the commenter's own position in their own words, not this record's.
To US Surface Transportation Board.docx ↓
Permanent address docketyard.org/d/FD-30186/comment/EI-19885
File docketyard.org/document/4f5054e8d385b8d78fff6528d22cc2bc81c8be939bef9e4517f1c8a78ceda550.docx · back to the docket sheet