The Washington State Department of Ecology rejected a permit Tuesday for the construction of coal terminals that would ship the fuel from western states to Asia, according to The Seattle Times.
The denial killed the last remaining proposal for a coal terminal in the state, unless the latest rejection is appealed and reversed.
“After extensive study and deliberation, I am denying Millennium’s proposed coal export project,” Ecology Director Maia Bellon said in a statement. “There are simply too many unavoidable and negative environmental impacts for the project to move forward.”
The new Millennium Bulk Terminals in Washington would have handled more than 44 million tons of coal annually. The terminals would have received coal from states such as Montana and Wyoming before shipping it across the Pacific Ocean, according to The Seattle Times.
The project, however, would likely have resulted in crowded river and rail traffic and the dredging and filling of 24 acres of wetlands and 41.5 acres of the Columbia River.
“The state did the right thing today, standing up for clean water, public health, and the Pacific Northwest’s iconic endangered salmon runs,” Power Past Coal co-director Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky said in a statement to Washington’s Bellingham Herald. “Washington State and the city of Longview deserve better than empty promises from the dying coal industry.”
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