I am thankful that in response to the U.S. pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement, Gov. Jay Inslee joined with other governors to form the United States Climate Alliance to continue efforts to fight climate change.
However, Inslee needs to back his words with actions by stopping the Chinese-backed world’s largest methanol refinery in Kalama. According to Sightline Institute, the refinery would require 320 million cubic feet of fracked gas daily, which is more than all the homes in the state of Washington, and would necessitate a new pipeline from Canada along the I-5 corridor.
The refinery would produce five times the state guidelines for diesel particulates pollution. As reported in The (Longview) Daily News on April 19, the refinery would produce 1,208,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. For information: www.nomethanol360.com.
This is not the time for Washington to promote new pipeline infrastructure. Inslee’s United States Climate Alliance is important and should work against gigantic projects which produce enormous amounts of greenhouse gas and require significant new investments in petroleum infrastructure like the methanol refinery in Kalama.
