Today, activists concerned about coal export proposals on the Columbia River delivered a mock eviction notice to the Portland office of Ambre Energy, the company pushing two coal export terminals in the Pacific Northwest.
The Oregon Department of State Lands is currently in the process of deciding whether or not to grant Ambre a permit for it’s controversial Morrow Pacific Project, near Boardman, OR, which would ship 8 million tons of coal per year via barge and rail through the Columbia River Gorge.
In recent weeks, grassroots activists and community leaders have turned up the pressure on Governor Kitzhaber and the DSL to deny this permit – including thousands of phone calls and emails from Oregonians, a new report detailing the economic risks of Morrow Pacific, and a letter signed by 86 elected officials from the region.
Ambre, on the other hand, has repeatedly failed to provide DSL with the required information on its project’s impacts in a timely manner, and earlier this week, asked DSL for yet another delay.
That’s why activists visited Ambre’s Portland office this morning – to send the message that Oregon communities don’t want toxic coal projects peddled by a desperate and untrustworthy company.
Their notice included several reasons to evict Ambre Energy:
By order of the people of Oregon, Ambre Energy is hereby notified that it is subject to removal for:
- Proposing to ship coal by rail and barge through the Columbia River Gorge, spewing toxic coal dust
- Threatening communities and ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest
- Hastening the climate crisis and endangering the future of our children
- Misleading the public and officials about the scope of its coal export proposal in Longview, WA
