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A recent hearing of the Energy and Power Subcommittee discussed the regulatory, market and legal barriers to exporting Coal and LNG. Critical issues were the length of time associated with the permitting process as well as the economic and climate impacts associated with the exports. Christopher Smith, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy at the DOE, testified that most of the foundation has been built and that future approvals should be expedited. Jeff Wright, Director, Office of Energy Projects at FERC, stated that many of the delays experienced were the result of filers submitting incomplete… [more]
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Distinguished Professor of Energy
University of California, Berkeley
If Peabody Energy, SSA Marine and Goldman Sachs really want to stimulate jobs in Washington State, as they claim in their support of the Gateway Pacific project, they can find much better ways to do so than building the sprawling $665 million coal terminal northwest of Bellingham, WA. They could use the money instead to fund energy-efficiency and renewable-energy projects, which per dollar invested, would create twice as many jobs at minimum. Modern coal terminals are highly mechanized facilities, and few workers are needed to operate them. As estimated in official project documents, the Gateway Pacific Terminal would support only… [more]
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U.S. coal exports from terminals in the Pacific Northwest and Gulf of Mexico could aid coal producers, who are keen to tap into international demand after a drop-off in domestic coal use. However, local officials and environmental groups have been resistant to plans to build the necessary infrastructure, like ports and rail, in the region. The Seattle City Council, for example, voted down plans for an export terminal that would have shipped coal from Wyoming and Montana’s Powder Basin to markets in Asia. Coal producers and exporters say the projects will deliver local and national economic benefits, including jobs and… [more]
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