Download the full "Northwest Targets" report

The Pacific Northwest is at a crossroads. Caught between inland North America’s huge fossil fuel deposits and Asia’s fast-growing energy markets, Oregon and Washington have been inundated by fossil fuel development proposals. Adding as much as 100 million tons of coal per year, a million barrels of oil per day, and staggering volumes of methane gas, the tally of recent proposed projects includes at least six coal export terminals, more than a dozen oil-by-rail facilities, and numerous fracked gas and petrochemical projects.

Although many of these projects are foundering in the face of a vigorous opposition movement, the threat has not passed. The industry continues to advance new projects in spite of concerns about pollution, fires, spills, congestion, and scores of other risks. Today, several communities in the Northwest are still under immediate threat of dirty energy development.

Sightline’s report, “Northwest Targets,” is a risk assessment for the region’s communities. It reviews the history of local struggles with fossil fuel development proposals and gauges the risks of future proposals. By analyzing every community in Oregon and Washington targeted by large-scale fossil fuel proposals since 2010, Sightline aims to identify the most immediate threats and propose a remedy for them.

Download the full "Northwest Targets" report

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June 20, 2017