FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 12, 2013
Portland Rising Tide Media Contact:
David Osborn 503.516.8932
Climate Activists Disrupt Presentation By Millenium Bulk Terminals to Maritime Commerce Club
Portland, OR – Tuesday: 40 activists with Portland Rising Tide entered the Doubletree Hotel in the Lloyd District and disrupted a Millenium Bulk Terminals presentation on their proposed 50-million ton coal export facility in Longview, WA. Millenium Bulk Terminals, owned by Ambre Energy and Arch Coal, was presenting to the Maritime Commerce Club.
After several dozen members of Portland Rising Tide entered the lobby of the Doubletree Hotel and were asked to leave, the presentation was disrupted an additional two times by activists. The vice president of Millennium Bulk Terminals was served with “coal d’oeuvres” made up of coal dust from coal trains that transport coal down the Columbia River Gorge.
Studies by Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) suggest that 500 pounds of coal can be lost in the form of dust from each rail car. Two activists later stood up and interrupted the presentation with facts about climate change and its impacts on communities.
Portland Rising Tide organized the action to oppose the construction of the coal export terminal in Longview. The action came on the heels of Super Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated the Philippines leaving an estimated 2,500 people dead. The typhoon was one of the strongest storms ever recorded.
Climate change models predict storms of greater intensity and strength. In response to the crisis, the Philippine climate negotiator Yeb Sano has gone on a hunger strike to protest the lack of progress at the UN COP 19 climate negotiations currently taking place in Warsaw, Poland.
According to Portland Rising Tide Member Yoko Silk, “Millennium’s coal export terminal would fuel the climate crisis and hurt our communities. With examples of the impacts of climate change coming more and more frequently we cannot continue to move forward with this dangerous project. We are committed to opposing this project and will join with the hundreds of people that have pledged to take nonviolent direct action to halt construction should the project move forward.”
Rising Tide is an international group that works to address the root causes of climate change. Today’s action follows the July 27th Rising Tide event at the Port of Vancouver in which over 1,000 people rallied against all of the proposed fossil fuel terminals in the Pacific Northwest. Participants took to the I-5 bridge and kayaks while three climbers rapelled from the bridge to unfurl a banner that read “Coal, Oil, Gas / None Shall Pass”. Last Monday, activists with Vancouver and Portland Rising Tide blocked entrances to the Port of Vancouver, WA with a community picket line in response to the Port’s re-leasing of public land to Tesoro/Savage for the proposed construction of a 380,000 barrel per day oil terminal at the Port of Vancouver. The port was shut down for half of the day.
High resolution photos of today’s actions:
http://portlandrisingtide.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/RTmillennium1.jpg
http://portlandrisingtide.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/RTmillennium2.jpg
All photos are available to use with attribution to Portland Rising Tide.
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