rears its head

At meetings around the Northwest, opponents of proposed Washington coal ports that would send coal to China have so far held center-stage. Supporters of exports through Bellingham and elsewhere appear to be picking up their game.A pro-coal group, Northwest Jobs Alliance, said it delivered petitions with 10,000 signatures in support of the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal to Whatcom County officials, who will have a key role in the decision about the project near Bellingham.In a press release, a union official and alliance co-chair, Chris Johnson, said, “These aren’t people from California signing an online petition — these are real local folk, mostly from Whatcom County.” The group also points to a poll from this summer done for a Northwest public radio consortium, EarthFix, as showing public support throughout the Pacific Northwest for exports. The poll found 55 percent in favor and 27 percent opposed among Washington, Oregon and Idaho residents.The next round in an unprecedented series of seven statewide meetings on the issue will be a Thursday event in Ferndale. The emphasis on local thinking in Johnson's statement probably hints at a big turnout for supporters in Ferndale. A meeting in Seattle had to be rescheduled because of the public interest, mainly from opponents.