A little background on the connection between the tribes and the coal and the tribes at Hanford might be helpful. The contractor that was hired by Goldman Sachs to work on the terminal site, violated the permitting rules and began digging before any permit was granted. The contractor dug up an Indian burial ground, a Lummi Indian burial site. An outside official was brought in to study the issue and arbitrate a settlement. The Lummi turned down the money because the outside archeologist stated in his report that the site of terminal was of important historical significance to the Lummi because it was the site where the Lummis entered the land by boat. It was the gateway into the region, one of the few no bank sites along the coast. Anyway, the coal terminal would permanently destroy everything that the tribe values about the region. So, the tribe is opposing the terminal and the Democrats are supporting it. Inslee has said that he only supports it if it can be proven that it will not negatively impact the region environmentally. Weasel words.
So, that is why the Hanford mess is being demagogued, once again.
When I attended WWU often rode my bike around the Lummi penisula or whatever it’s called. That was a summer quarter activity only — too wet and cold the rest of the time. Sun’s out again here and wind has calmed down.