Open Public Comments: Oil by Rail

Ghosts of Trains to Come

It was back in the Halloween season when a veritable fleet of cars, buses, and bikes caravanned to Olympia, WA to address a horror much more frightening than ghosts and ghouls. The ever-expanding transport of oil through our region is what really scares us. We know that the oil industry’s plans to expand oil extraction work directly flies in the face of our efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
The hearing was packed with people in red shirts showing their disapproval of the proposed increase in oil transport through the region.

October 30th began with an early morning assembly of Seattle Raging Grannies rocking “Blockadia” with a 7-hour street obstruction. Activities continued with a rally, and later we packed the hearing room. Over 750 people squeezed in to attend the Marine & Rail Oil Transportation Study Hearing in Olympia! We were there to speak and act out against the onslaught of oil by rail and by waterways. The Oregonian covered the hearing and festivities.

You can still add your voice to those that participated in the spirited rally and hearing. The deadline for public comments isDecember 1st, 5:00PM. Take this opportunity to speak out against oil transport—you do not need to be a Washington resident. Aside from climate impacts from the combustion of oil, its transport directly puts our environment and safety at risk.

Send your comments here.

To help write your comments, here are Talking Points from the Washington Environmental Council and Tips to Effective Comments from the Environmental Law Institute.

VICE also produced a video, “Bomb Trains,” a good watch if you are looking for more background or strong visuals.

Bonnie McKinlay