Dear Fabulous Friends of Faith,
Important climate victories can pass almost undetected, and yet they are the stuff from which hope is made. Those who wish to risk human health and Earth’s air and water work hard to make us believe that we cannot stop them, that the hideous cost of fossil fuels must be paid. They try to weaken our advocacy by telling us it is bound to fail. Do not believe this!
Today, there is excellent news. Of the six coal export terminals originally proposed to send 150 million tons of coal to China, one more has just bitten the dust. Gone are the Coos Bay, Oregon and the Greys Harbor, Washington proposals. And today, one that we were very worried about—at St. Helen’s, Oregon–has been withdrawn by its proponents.
This victory belongs to each of you who has joined with Earth Ministry to oppose coal export from Northwest ports, by submitting comments, holding adult education classes in your church, signing postcards, donating to Earth Ministry’s advocacy campaign or testifying at hearings. Every one of your actions made a difference. The vast community opposition to the St. Helen’s export terminal is the reason the company has withdrawn the proposal. Three down, three to go.
We’ve got hard work in front of us still, and there are many more actions we will all need to take: hearings, postcards, comments, forums. There are still three bad proposals in the works: Cherry Point and Longview in Washington, and the Port of Morrow in Oregon. But we CAN stop them. Our faith teaches us that what may seem inevitable is not necessarily so. The coal will stay in the ground.
With much love and appreciation for your hard work—what a fine community of friends and activists we have!
