I read the article “Trump OKs Keystone pipeline, calling it ‘great day’ for jobs,” with a mix of horror and determination. I’m horrified that this terrible project has been greenlighted, with Trump calling this technology of yesteryear the “greatest technology known to man or woman. … ”
Meanwhile, I’m determined that our beautiful Pacific Northwest will lead the nation in moving away from fossil-fuel industries that put our most precious assets at risk.
There is something we can all do to move us in the right direction: Call our Washington state representatives and urge them to pass HB 1611. This bill would ensure that any crude-oil-pipeline corporations seeking to increase capacity must go through fair review and public input. It would put in place rules to better protect Puget Sound and the Salish Sea from underregulated barges carrying crude oil through our precious waters. It would also establish reliable and stable funding for communities to prepare for and respond to oil spills — a tragedy which, sadly, we can depend upon until we’re finally free from the yoke of fossil fuels.
Laura Skelton, Seattle