Tell local officials to reject the Westway oil terminal. Critical coastal estuaries could face devastating consequences for birds if the oil industry is successful in expanding its operations in Grays Harbor in Washington state—a site visited by hundreds of thousands of migrating shorebirds every year, including the entire Pacific population of Red Knots. One oil spill would devastate this fragile marine ecosystem.
Now, officials in one local city are deciding whether to allow the development of a new oil terminal that would transport 750 million gallons of toxic crude through the Grays Harbor estuary, most of it for export to China.
Mayor Jasmine Dickhoff and City Administrator Brian Shay:
For years, local residents, state citizens, and concerned people from across the country have commented on the high risk of oil spills in Grays Harbor, and the inability of Westway to fully mitigate the environmental damage to marine habitat and wildlife should an oil accident occur. Waterway contamination, train accidents, increased train and oil tanker traffic, air pollution, noise, harmful impacts on tribal culture and resources, and vehicle delay at railroad crossings would all contribute to decreased quality of life for birds and people that rely on our healthy coastal estuaries to survive.
Due to these numerous and enormous risks, I am writing to ask that you reject the Westway oil terminal proposal.
Grays Harbor is a site of hemispheric importance to birds. Surrounded by six Important Bird Areas, Grays Harbor is host to hundreds of thousands of resident and migrating birds who rely on this Pacific Coast estuary for their life cycle needs. Recent research by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife shows that the Pacific population of the Red Knot uses the North Bay of Grays Harbor almost exclusively as its one refueling site during its long spring migration from northwestern Mexico to its breeding grounds in northwestern Alaska and Wrangel Island, Russia. One oil spill could have devastating effects on this species' survival and detrimental long-term impacts on its preferred bivalve food source found in the Bay.
I support the protection of Grays Harbor, its marine life, and its people, and urge you to reject the proposed Westway oil terminal.
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Sincerely,
[Your name here]
