Corbin Robertson of Quintana Minerals of Houston Texas just tossed $32,000 into the Whatcom County Council races. Cloud Peak added $50,000 and Global Coal Sales LLC added $50,000. Coal terminal applicant SSA has put in $12,000. The money has been donated to this group: http://www.savewhatcom.org/
Quintana is the largest private holder of coal reserves in the United States. Cloud Peak Energy is betting heavily on coal exports as well and has been backing a PR campaign in Washington State thesheridanpress.
It appears that the coal terminal proponents have decided who they should back in the local election.
Quintana is the largest private holder of coal reserves in the United States. Cloud Peak Energy is betting heavily on coal exports as well and has been backing a PR campaign in Washington State thesheridanpress.
It appears that the coal terminal proponents have decided who they should back in the local election.
5 comments:
Ran across this just now:
http://www.earthfix.info/energy/article/the-little-county-council-election-that-could-mean/
Out-of-area money in local elections -- yecchh -- and that goes for all sides.
Money is streaming in from both sides. Since our county is caught in the shrapnel of heavy political cross-fire, this issue will have a polarizing effect upon the electorate.
Polarization ultimately limits rational discussion and critical thinking. But then again, most of America is laden with sleepy, terrified kind of provincialism and in general the American public eschews critical thinking and discussion skills; almost to point of anti-intellectualism.
In such an environment, political rhetoric out of necessity becomes emotional instead of quantitative. Ultimately, this type of rhetoric does neither side any favors. That's where we were at right now.
I don't have a problem with money from outside the county. What I have a problem with is money coming from corporations like Cloud Peak who has a contract with SSA/PIT for storing and exporting coal and Global Coal Sakes and Corby Robertson who is the owner of the largest private US coal reserves, who stand to privately gain from getting the proposed coal termina permitted, trying to stack the deck trying to get the particular county council candidates elected who are most likely to approve the permits. It also seems highly inappropriate for the companies (SSA/PIT) and BNSF who are the actual permit applicants to contribute money indirectly or directly to the county council candidates who will be sitting in a quasi-judicial role for the permit decisions.
Sandy Robson
A revised edition of my post above with more details:
I don't have a problem with money from outside the county. What I have a problem with is money coming from corporations like Cloud Peak who has a contract with SSA/PIT for storing and exporting coal, Global Coal Sales which is part of Boich Companies which is part owner of Signal Peak Mine in Montana, and Corby Robertson who is the owner of the largest private US coal reserves and owns many companies one of which is Quintana Maritime whose web link takes you to Excel Maritime Carriers Ltd. And guess what they do? They are an independent shipping company operating a fleet of dry bulk vessels and providing world-wide seaborne transportation services. Coal is one of the dry bulk cargoes they ship.
These contributors all stand to privately gain from getting the proposed coal terminal permitted, are trying to stack the deck trying to get the particular county council candidates elected who are most likely to approve the permits. It also seems highly inappropriate for the companies (SSA/PIT) and BNSF who are the actual permit applicants to contribute money, whether indirectly (to the WA state a Republican Party which then funnels the money to the County Republican Party and then to the coffers of the county council candidates, or directly to the county council candidates, who will be sitting in a quasi-judicial role for the permit decisions.
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