The Editor,

Re: "Fraser Docks wants piece of huge coal pie," the Now, Feb. 28.

I was aghast to learn that there has been no federal or provincial environmental assessment on Fraser Surrey Docks' coal transfer facility.

I live in White Rock and regularly travel the Highway 99 corridor to Vancouver.

One evening, my husband noticed a vast black cloud of soot/dust along the horizon. He wondered what it might be and I immediately noticed the train heading west carrying coal. The soot/dust was landing on the fields of blueberries along the highway.

This was a total reality check for us. We had heard about the protest along the rail lines in White Rock but didn't really think about the seriousness of the issue. I had some strange idea that coal trains were now being covered to eliminate the dust. There is nothing like seeing it right before your eyes to wake you up.

I watch for the hawks, eagles, and snow geese when I drive along Highway 99 and the more I see the happier I am - the healthier they are, the healthier we are. Now I worry that the food they digest is toxic and we will see fewer and fewer in the future.

We live on Victoria Street, just steps to the rail lines that these trains roll along. It is bad enough that the trains blow their horns early each morning (a necessary evil I suppose), but much worse is that we will be breathing in coal dust on a daily basis and eating contaminated food grown in the Surrey/Delta agricultural lands. Will we have to change our name to "Black Rock" in the future?

The last time I went to Bellingham I noticed signs posted everywhere fighting against the coal trains. Bravo to them. And bravo to everyone who is fighting this good fight here in B.C.

Leslie McLeod, White Rock