Editor,
As a former mayor of the City of White Rock I have a suggestion that I have previously made to the Premier’s office.
Over the years I have had considerable experience with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad whose tracks run across White Rock’s waterfront. Something in the order of 20 trains per day pass through White Rock. A substantial number of these trains are coal trains of 100+ cars.
The coal comes from the Powder River Basin (PRB) in Wyoming and Montana. Both states are "red" states. It is going to the Roberts Bank coal terminals for shipment to Asia.
The PRB is the single most important coal source in the U.S. It produces 43 per cent of the coal in the U.S.A. and is considered important because of its lower sulphur content.
Due in large part to the royalty revenues from coal, Wyoming has no corporate or personal income tax, and Montana has no sales tax. Wyoming is also considered to be a tax haven for the ultra rich.
The biggest single market for the PRB coal is for India and China and other Asian countries. The U.S. has very little coal shipment capability on the West Coast and so virtually all the coal shipped to Asia goes through White Rock to the Vancouver/Roberts Bank terminals.
Obviously, some form of Canadian tariff or surcharge, or maybe even a complete prohibition of the coal shipments could have a profound effect on two red states and a number of U.S. millionaires and billionaires. The effects would be significant, and doubtless the states would in turn take the matter up with Trump.
A possible outcome of a Canadian tariff might also be to increase the Asian market for Canadian coal.
That would be a good thing.
Wayne Baldwin, former mayor, City of White Rock
