Potential local impacts of coal trains need to be taken seriously

In Camas and Washougal, the sounds of trains passing through our communities have become almost commonplace. Each day we see and hear them go by, often as we wait for the train cars to clear local BNSF railroad crossings. We may not like them much, but we live with them because they are just one aspect of these two communities that have so many other great qualities.

But a new proposal from Millennium Bulk Terminals to build a $600 million terminal west of Longview to export 44 million tons of coal annually could make this situation worse. If approved, it would dramatically increase the number of trains heading through the Camas-Washougal area by 20 to 30 each day. These trains would be 1 mile to 1.5 miles long, carrying coal that would eventually be loaded up on barges bound for the Asian market.