Terminal developer Kinder Morgan will not go forward with a proposal to export coal to Asia from the

on the Columbia River, a company spokesman said this morning.

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Kinder Morgan's Allen Fore attributed the decision not to seek permits for

to site logistics at the

industrial park, not the controversy over coal.

"We looked at multiple options and different footprints, but we couldn't find one compatible with the facility we wanted to construct," Fore said.

Kinder Morgan's decision knocks another controversial Northwest coal export proposal off the table, leaving three still under consideration, one near Bellingham, Wash., one in Longview, Wash., and one in Boardman.

Kinder Morgan's proposal would have likely generated the most coal train traffic through the Portland area, sending trains through north Portland and up the Columbia to the terminal near Clatskanie.

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, which would have also brought trains through Portland. The Longview proposal could run trains through the city, though industry sources say the coal is more likely to run on BNSF Railway's Washington tracks.

Kinder Morgan’s terminal would have exported up to 30 million tons of Wyoming and Montana coal a year to Asia. The company projected its investment at $150 million to $200 million with 80 permanent jobs at the terminal.

Fore said the company is still looking for coal export sites in the Northwest, though he declined to name specific sites.

"We're a customer driven company," he said, "and our customers are still looking at options in Pacific Northwest."

For a more complete later version of this story, please

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