The Huxley College Speaker Series at Western Washington University will host Bellingham businessman and Gateway Pacific Terminal project spokesman Craig Cole on May 20 as he weighs the benefits and pitfalls of the controversial Gateway Pacific coal terminal with his presentation, “Gateway Pacific Terminal: A Case Study” at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 20 in Communications Facility 125 on Western’s campus.

Cole will present a framework for examining the pros and cons of building the proposed terminal at Cherry Point in Whatcom County. The proposed project is slated to provide a new state-of-the-art, full-service facility for efficiently shipping dry bulk commodities such as coal to Asia and elsewhere.

Cole is the retired CEO of Brown and Cole Stores. He is a graduate of Western’s Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, recipient of the 18th Distinguished Graduate of WWU award, and served on the Western’s board of trustees for 11 years.

Cole has also served on the Whatcom County Council, helped organize the Whatcom Transportation Authority, chaired the Whatcom County National Heritage Plan, and was a member of the Washington State Energy Strategy Advisory Committee.

Cole’s presentation is free and open to the public and will include a question-and-answer period.

For more information about the event, contact Patrick Buckley at Western’s Huxley College of the Environment at (360) 650-4773.

*This story was updated for accuracy.