The neo-luddite mentality is alive and well, with politicians of all stripes, pandering to ignorance and fear. I do some work on highway projects, too, where this unbelievable pandering to ignorance is seen on projects like the 710 tunnel proposal. And, the general level of scientific and/or environmental knowledge by many of these self-styled or so-called environmental "advocates" is the book end to the similar self selected delusions of the so-called "teabaggers" on the other end of the ignorance spectrum.

The phenomena of tweedle dumb versus tweedle dumber in our current policy discourse is well documented, and seems to get increasingly stupid people elected. So from that standpoint this kind of stupid-apparently works quite well.

The comments by Bruce make sense. The liklihood of any of these smaller isolated west coast ports, with additional mountains to climb, and often indirect routes from the coal producing areas, becoming major rail coal terminals are somewhere between slim and none, economically speaking.

The liklihood of our all freezing to death in the dark is much higher, however.