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Lummi Nation told Crow Tribe about impacts of coal terminal

Monday, March 23, 2015

Members of the Lummi Nation stand against a coal export terminal in Washington. Photo from Sierra Club

The Lummi Nation of Washington hosted the Crow Tribe of Montana at its fishing grounds to express opposition to a coal terminal, Chairman Tim Ballew said.

The Lummi Nation believes the Gateway Pacific Terminal will harm its treaty-protected rights. The project would be built at Cherry Point, a historic village and fishing area known as Xwe’chi’eXen in the Lummi language.

“We’ve done extensive fact finding with other governments, including the federal government and other tribes,” Ballew told The Bellingham Herald. “We’ve come to the decision that our treaty right cannot be mitigated.”

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The Crow Tribe is not an official part of the Gateway Pacific project. But its reservation is home to a large coal deposit that could be mined and exported through the terminal.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reviewing the project and the Crows asked the agency to set up a "safe place" for meeting with the Lummis, the paper reported. The agency suggested the Bureau of Indian Affairs might be better able to accommodate the request.

Get the Story:
Pro-coal Montana tribe weighs in on Cherry Point terminal (The Bellingham Herald 3/23)