China’s short-lived interest in coal
Unheard in the all the recent discussion about coal export and coal trains is the very good chance that China will soon discover the wonders of fracking for itself and will then switch to natural gas, exactly as we are doing here in the United States.

In light of this, the coal-export business appears to be an enterprise that will profit a few, provide a handful of jobs for only a couple of years at best, with a high risk of damage to both the public health and the environment [“Global warming should rule out the expansion of coal,” Opinion, Dec. 31].

—Dave Cain, Olympia