Center for Biological Diversity

For Immediate Release, September 18, 2017

Contact: 

Brett VandenHeuvel, (503) 348-2436, bv@columbiariverkeeper.org 
Jared Margolis, (802) 310-4054, jmargolis@biologicaldiversity.org
Stephanie Hillman, (206) 856-0340, stephanie.hillman@sierraclub.org
Janette Brimmer, (206) 343-7340, jbrimmer@earthjustice.org

Proposed Washington Gas Refinery Defeated, Permits Ruled Invalid

Port of Kalama Violated State Law by Failing to Evaluate Greenhouse Gas Impacts

OLYMPIA, Wash.— The Center for Biological Diversity, Columbia Riverkeeper and Sierra Club received a victory today in their challenge to a proposed methanol refinery in Kalama, Wash.

Washington’s Shorelines Hearings Board ruled that the Port of Kalama and Cowlitz County violated the law by failing to disclose and evaluate greenhouse gas emissions from the world’s largest methanol refinery, proposed on the banks of the Columbia River. As a result, permits previously issued for the project are invalid.   

The board found that the “environmental impact statement” ignored off-site emissions associated with the project, including greenhouse gas emissions from production and transportation of natural gas and shipping methanol to Asia.   

“Building a fracked gas refinery is dangerous for our climate, our communities and the habitat that species rely on,” said Jared Margolis, senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. “We need to move forward with clean energy, not more fossil fuels.”

“As the Board has stated, this EIS completely failed to analyze the very significant climate impact from this large fossil fuel refinery,” said Janette Brimmer, an attorney with Earthjustice. “This order requires the refinery and the Port to follow the law; to finally take an honest, thorough, and hard look at all greenhouse gas pollution from and caused by this facility.”   

“We are asking Governor Inslee, a champion for a healthy climate, to get involved and help investigate the methanol refinery’s greenhouse gas impacts,” said Brett VandenHeuvel, executive director of Columbia Riverkeeper.  

“You can't build a massive fossil fuel project like this and pretend that the impacts end at the property line,” said Nathan Matthews, staff attorney for the Sierra Club. “The public deserves to know the climate impacts of fracked gas, from the wellhead to the pipelines to refinery, all the way to the export to Asia.”  

The parties are represented by Earthjustice.

Background

A subsidiary of the Chinese Academy of Sciences called Northwest Innovation Works seeks to build methanol refineries in Kalama, Wash. and Port Westward, Ore., to take advantage of the region’s cheap natural gas (methane), electricity and water. The refineries would convert stunning volumes of methane gas into methanol for export to China, to make plastics. Each methanol refinery could consume 270 million cubic feet of methane gas per day, more than all other industry in Washington combined. Methane gas is a potent greenhouse gas. New studies show that extracting methane gas is a major threat to our climate because methane escapes into the atmosphere from gas wells and pipelines.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.5 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.

Columbia Riverkeeper works to protect and restore the water quality of the Columbia River and all life connected to it, from the headwaters to the Pacific Ocean. columbiariverkeeper.org

Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization. We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health; to preserve magnificent places and wildlife; to advance clean energy; and to combat climate change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer. earthjustice.org

The Sierra Club's members and supporters are more than 2 million of your friends and neighbors. Inspired by nature, we work together to protect our communities and the planet. We’re America's oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. sierraclub.org

www.biologicaldiversity.org

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