Ambre Energy and its subsidiary Pacific Transloading LLC along with another coal interest Kinder Morgan and the Port of St. Helens have announced that they have agreed to a lease at Port Westward, and have given the green light to begin the process. The Port of St. Helens hornswoggled the public at a meeting held in Clatskanie about the project.
They advised the public to send their comments or questions by e-mail to the port office where they would be read, considered and answered. In the next breath the port commissioners voted to go into business with Ambre Energy to start exporting coal from Port Westward. The move by the Port was a slap in the face to the entire population of the port district and to the entire population of Columbia County.

The way the Port of St. Helens does business is pretty well known and their underhanded way and untruthfulness was not a surprise to me and many others. If people remember back to when the Port was entertaining to lease property to a LNG speculator they handled that very much the same way. Behind closed doors, letting out very little information about the proposal/project. Tried to pressure private property owners with legal litigation, costing the property owns $25,000 + in legal fees. Even the word condemnation crossed the ports lips.

So now we have another big corporation trying to pull a fast one on the people of Columbia County. Big deal they will bring in 20-25 family wage jobs, what is considered family wage? why don't Ambre come out and say what the wages and benefits will be? Pretty simple to most people why don't they produce that information, the answer is plain the wages might not be so great.
Their contribution to the local county schools to be divided between them will be $300,000-$350,000, big deal that is pennies compared to what the cost will be to the rest of the county and the environment.

The extended wait trying to cross the tracks, dividing the entire town of Scappoose from their police station and other business's. The same scenario will affect St. Helens, dividing the town from their city police, county sheriff, fire department and ambulance service.
The loss of jobs at Teevin Brothers in Rainier should be configured into the equation. The loggers will get held up trying to get their logs across to be unloaded. Less logs means less money in everybody's pockets. If the ethanol plant gets busier like has been predicted the added corn trains a mile long and ethanol trains will again monopolize the tracks, adding more wait time for everyone involved and causing a safety issue for communities along the way.

Wait time just for the coal trails will be about 8 ½ minutes add corn trains another 8 minutes and ethanol trains again add more time, the time just keeps going up. The loss of business for the merchants and restaurants in Rainier, St. Helens and Scappoose would add up to more than the amount of jobs they are bringing.

Ambre mentions that the school fund is a ten cent contribution, well how about the 15 cent a ton depletion fee/transportation fee that is a Columbia county ordinance and must be collected. The ordinance has been on the books since the early 90's and needs to be enforced, the funds would go directly to the Road Department to fix the county roads. What do you want to bet that the county commissioners will not enforce the ordinance, which by the way was passed by the vote of the people.
The first natural resource that is listed under the ordinance is "coal" and the county claims that there is no coal in the county and it has never been mined in the county. That is completely wrong! There was a coal mine right behind the chemical plant at Deer Island, and there were several coal mines in and around Vernonia. And there has been studies done on coal in the county. There is data to substantiate my remarks. So if the coal goes through the county citizens are due NATURAL RESOURCE DEPLETION /TRANSPERTATION FEE'S AT 15 CENTS PER TON QUITE A NICE CHUNK FOR OUR ROAD DEPARTMENT.

"The processes being proposed are not new. Bulk commodities such as grain and wood chips have been shipped by barge on the Columbia River for decades. The Morrow Pacific project will use the same basic, proven shipping methods and procedures."

People who fish or boats on the river understand the amount of grain dust from grainerys that fall into the river. Walk along the beach and see the amounts of wood chips that have fallen off barges.

  "The goal of the Morrow Pacific project is to develop an export route for low-sulfur coal from the Powder River Basin to U.S. trade allies in the Asia-Pacific market. As the Morrow Pacific project moves forward, Ambre Energy expects to be held to high standards and to do business the Oregon way by respecting the environment, communicating honestly and operating transparently."

Ambre Energy/ Pacific Transloading LLC and Kinder Morgan are already lying to everyone involved, they are less than honest, and if they wanted to communicate with the people of Columbia County than why is the lease/contract with the Port of St. Helens being held in secret? And not available to anyone who wishes to read it. Right there should prove to you that this company is not trustworthy. Ambre expects to ship 3.5 million metric tons annually. The full operational capacity is 8 million metric tons annually. Kinder Morgan expects to ship 15 million ton in the first phase and another 15 million tons of coal in the second phase annually.
I hope everyone continues to go to public meetings, write letters to our governor state senators, representatives and all other associated politicians to stop coal from ruining our county. Attend all public meetings around the issue let your voice be heard to keep Ambre Energy and all coal companies out of Columbia County.