Letters to the editor, May 12 - May 18

The Editor:

It’s truly disturbing that the Army Corps took the unprecedented step today to deny the permit for the Gateway Pacific Terminal project even before releasing the draft Environmental Impact Statement.

The entire point of the environmental review process is to identify potential problems with a project and to give the community an opportunity to discuss the appropriate path forward.

To deny this permit without any involvement from the community or without releasing any of the findings from its years–long review is deeply troubling and sends a dangerous signal that the Army Corps values special interests over the rule of law.

This ruling could have a chilling impact on thousands of families in northwest Washington who were counting on this project to provide good-paying jobs.

Kathryn Stenger,

Alliance for NW Jobs & Exports

Seattle

The Editor:

The annual Letter Carrier Food Drive will take place on Saturday, May 14. Letter carriers across Whatcom County and the nation, will participate in the largest one-day food drive of the year. Blaine letter carriers hope to collect at least 6,000 pounds from Blaine area residents that day.

This food drive is critical to our food bank and the families we serve. One in six Blaine households visit the food bank regularly, and visits have gone up by almost 70 percent since 2007.

It’s an easy food drive for anyone to join. Letter carriers will pick up donations as they deliver the mail. They will be joined by many volunteers to help carry all of the donations back to the food bank.

We thank everyone for their continued support in this very worthy cause.

Joan Smith

Blaine Food Bank