I assume that some readers will stop reading this letter after my next statement, but those of us with half a brain and some degree of curiosity will read it through to the end.
Stop sniveling about coal train dust!
Sure, there is dust that escapes from the cars that carry coal from Wyoming, USA, to DeltaPort, B.C., but that isn’t the only thing that escapes from trains passing through our great cities of Edmonds, Mukilteo and Everett. A small example of what else passes through on these ribbons of commerce (railroad tracks) are:
•Gasoline, diesel, LPG-propane, asphalt, sodium hydroxide (lye) and numerous other dangerous liquids/chemicals.
•Dry bulk grain, coal cement, wood products.
•Automobiles, airplane parts furniture, food, etc.
Minute particles (fines) escape into the atmosphere from any one of these cargoes, no matter what precautions are taken.
We should be more concerned from so called non-point pollution escaping into our atmosphere from such things as brake dust, oil drippings from our cars into storm drains. The list goes on. If we are going to fight something then let’s make our efforts more do-able. Each one of us has the capacity to effectively deal with these than tackling coal train dust.
Then there are the jobs. If this new coal terminal (on our side of the border) creates even one job then I say hurray! That one job would pay mortgage/rent, buys food, toilet paper, everything that a family needs to thrive. Tell that one employee that her/his job isn’t important or needed and guess what they will say. We all know that one job creates more jobs down the line.
So listen to your common sense voice of Edmonds, go take down your yard signs and “Stop sniveling about coal train dust!”
John Lewis
Edmonds
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