Washington governor blasts plan to export coal, gas from military bases

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) on Monday slammed President Trump’s proposal to use military bases to export coal from the West Coast to Asia, saying in a statement that the idea is “reckless.”

“This reckless, harebrained proposal undermines national security instead of increasing it, and it undermines states’ rights to enforce necessary health, safety and environmental protections in their communities,” Inslee said.

{mosads}U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Monday told The Associated Press that the Trump administration is considering using military bases and federal properties in states such as Washington, Oregon and California to ship coal and natural gas to Asia.

“I respect the state of Washington and Oregon and California,” Zinke told the AP. “But also, it’s in our interest for national security and our allies to make sure that they have access to affordable energy commodities.”

Zinke also said the Trump administration is interested in partnering with private companies to handle the exports.

Inslee in his statement said that “the men and women who serve at our military bases are there to keep our country safe, not to service an export facility for private fossil fuel companies.”

He added that he hasn’t personally heard from the Trump administration and has instead had to rely on news reports for information about the potential exports.