Recently we have heard from representatives of Ambre Energy/ Morrow Pacific about the safety and economic benefits of the proposed coal terminal in Boardman. While there appear to be thoughtful efforts to design a lower impact terminal, we are missing the larger picture.

It appears the industry is using a strategy of focusing on the pieces and lining up the parts, while offering to buy their way through controversy. It is not an uncommon business practice. That may be their best choice, but it diverts attention from the cumulative effects of the entire project.

While individual parts may be of little concern, when they are put in total the effects are significant. Consider the carbon emissions starting in Wyoming where the coal is mined, the transport of multiple trains per day by rail with its associated dust, the transfer in Boardman, barging down the river, and transport across the ocean.

This is all before it gets burned and fouls the air that we eventually breathe. Along with this is the inconvenience to communities and businesses of long coal trains, the disruptions to the recreation economies and communities in the Gorge, and the potential for accidents and impacts to the water and fisheries along the line.

Our son frequently travels to South Korea with his business. He recently posted this as part of a larger message: This morning I went for a run in the warm pouring rain. The hotel staff warned me that the rain is not safe, that the pollution and dust from deforestation and industrialization in China is bad for my health and clothes. My Korean friends live with this every rainy day, and with heavy air on dry days that weighs down your breath and saps your energy.

Coal fired electric plants are a major contributor to this, and we are starting to see some of the drift in our air. When we look at the coal transfer project as a whole it seems like a ridiculous risk for short-term profits and a few jobs. The piecemeal approach and offers of economic benefits mask the overall long-term adverse effects of this larger project.

No, I am not a flaming environmentalist. I am very concerned, however, about the longer-term affects for our kids, communities, health, and our resources for future generations. Their futures should not be for sale.

Jeff Blackwood

Pendleton