Minutes Exhibit A
Port Commision Special Meeting
of November 12. 2019
SSSSey

From:                         Catherine Ruha 
Sent:                             Monday, November 11, 2019 8:15 PM
To:                             Steinbrueck, Peter; Gregoire, Courtney; Felleman, Fred; Calkins, Ryan; Bowman,
Stephanie; Commission-Public-Records; Merritt, Mike; Pritchard, Aaron
Subject:                          [EXTERNAL] Registering my opposition to Terminal 46

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Dear Commissioners,

I oppose the Port of Seattle's proposed Terminal 46 cruise ship terminal due to the risk of significant climate
disruption, marine pollution, and public health impacts from cruise ship emissions.

Expanding port infrastructure to support more cruise ships of ever-increasing size is incompatible with the
climate leadership this State is striving toward and with the spirit of the motion passed last year to reduce
climate emissions. The port should be encouraging sailing vessels, not carbon heavy cruise ships.

Cruise ships as they exist today are the antithesis of decarbonization. These massive vessels are floating cities,
and are almost wholly fueled with one of the dirtiest fossil fuels on earth -- heavy fuel oil. Heavy fuel oil is a
waste product of the world's oil refineries, quite literally the bottom-of-the-barrel toxic sludge left over after
other petroleum products are distilled from crude. And cruise ships use a lot of fuel.

At a time when vessel traffic noise pollution is crippling the ability of critically endangered Southern Resident
Killer whales to hunt salmon and the pollutants that have invaded the food web are damaging their ability to
survive and reproduce. Introducing more toxins and more mega-ship traffic into their habitat could well push
these iconic animals closer to the brink of extinction.

For the health of our people, our oceans, our endangered Orcas, and our air, for the health of all life on Earth,
now is not the time to add more infrastructure to bring more of these polluting mega-ships to our shores. More
pollution is not what the livelihoods of this region and the world need.

Thank you,
Catherine Ruha

Seattle, Washington, Earth