Bellingham Mayor Dan Pike is not taking sides on the proposed coal terminal at Cherry Point. At a public forum on May 4, he drew fire for staying neutral on the controversial plan to ship tons of coal through Bellingham.

When asked, at the meeting, whether he supported allowing the coal trains in Whatcom County, Mr Pike said he would not take a stand for or against because it was a complex question that had to do with national policy.

In response, one angry audience member shouted from the back of the room: “You’re a wimp.”

Seattle-based SSA Marine, a marine terminal operator, and Peabody Energy, the largest coal company in the world, created a joint agreement for the proposal to ship strip-mined coal, through Bellingham, to Asia.

At the forum, Pike maintained ambiguity by asking rhetorical questions and attempting to show both sides of the issue in front of a predominantly anti-coal crowd.

Mr Pike said that “People need to recognize there are a lot of people in this community that are struggling financially, looking for work and trying to figure out how they’re going to survive in the current economy. I don’t have all the answers, and that is part of the problem.”

More than 200 people packed into the Bellingham High School commons to attend the forum put on by RE Sources for Sustainable Communities, Climate Solutions and the Sierra Club.

RE Sources and Climate Solutions are nonprofit organizations that work to promote sustainable communities and solutions to global warming. The Sierra Club is a grassroots environmental organization that has set out to shut down every coal plant in America.

Robin Everett, associate regional representative of the Sierra Club, said coal produces 32% of worldwide carbon emissions, making it the leading cause of climate change. She added that “We’re seeking to end coal burning in America and to keep coal in the ground. The third leg of the campaign is to make sure we don’t export it to other countries as well.”

While most of the discussion centered around negative implications of the proposal, optimism remained as panelists reminded audience members that the fight is far from over.

(Sourced from westernfrontonline.net)