I’m disappointed with the Department of Ecology and the Southwest Clean Air Agency for issuing permits for the methanol refinery and pipeline. Kalama is a small town that is being steamrolled by a big corporation backed by the Chinese government. Our town is covered in “No Methanol” signs but small-town voices are being ignored by state agencies.
Almost 20,000 public comments and petitions were submitted opposed to the project. Washington is opening the door to fossil-fuel export by permitting the Kalama methanol refinery. There is no doubt that the backers of Tesoro and Millennium are celebrating this victory and getting in line. We need to reject all fossil-fuel export terminals. Allowing one is a slippery slope for the whole region.
