1.0Sightline Institutehttps://www.sightline.orgEric de Placehttps://www.sightline.org/profile/eric-de-place/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="qtjfUhkKPZ"><a href="https://www.sightline.org/2012/06/27/why-seattles-freight-interests-should-worry-about-coal-exports/">Why Seattle’s Freight Interests Should Worry About Coal Exports</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.sightline.org/2012/06/27/why-seattles-freight-interests-should-worry-about-coal-exports/embed/#?secret=qtjfUhkKPZ" width="600" height="338" title="“Why Seattle’s Freight Interests Should Worry About Coal Exports” — Sightline Institute" data-secret="qtjfUhkKPZ" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); /* ]]> */ </script> https://www.sightline.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/coal-train-seattle-412x550.jpg412550Compared to the noise about congestion from a basketball arena in Seattle's SoDo district, there's an eerie silence when it comes to congestion from coal trains there. Yet coal trains would almost certainly create traffic problems in SoDo and elsewhere, with potentially serious consequences for Seattle's manufacturing and industrial businesses. The proposed coal export terminal near Bellingham would add 16 loaded and empty coal trains per day, if operating at full capacity. That's according to the project's proponents, although my calculations, based on typical coal train volumes reported by the industry, suggest that it would be more like 19 trains per day.