Coal Company Seeks Approval For Export Facility On Columbia River

By scott parkin

No Coal ExportsKing Coal doesn’t give in so easy.

Millennium Bulk Logistics, a subsidiary of Ambre Energy, announced today that it has re-filed paperwork seeking approval from Cowlitz County, WA to build a $600 million coal export terminal in Longview, WA. St. Louis-based Arch Coal, the second largest coal company in the United States, owns a 38 percent share in Millennium.

Their intention is to ship 44 million tons annually, making it the largest such facility in North America. The coal will be mined primarily from the Powder River Basin and shipped to Asian markets. Last year, Millenium Bulk Logistics withdrew its permit request after being caught lying about the amounts of coal it would be shipping through the area. Longview is one of five Oregon and Washington ports where coal companies are seeking approval to construct coal export terminals.

This fight is far from over. For over a year, Power Past Coal, a coalition of local activists and environmental non-profits, has fought Western coal exports on the political, regulatory, legal and grassroots organizing front. Just this week, youth and radical activists called for a series of direct actions in Montana to stop coal exports.

King Coal may not give up easy, but neither do we.