Victoria Leistman, Dirty Fuels organizer
This summer and fall, oil and gas companies are trying their best to test our green line of defense by pushing for more dirty fossil fuel projects. This includes both existing proposals, like the Tacoma LNG facility, and new threats. That's why we'll need yous support more than ever - we need you to keep submitting comments, attending hearings, and turning out for rallies and visibility actions.
If you’ve been following our work against coal, oil, and gas in recent years, you’ve no stranger to the term “the thin green line,” referencing the strong community in the Pacific NW that has worked together to defeat countless fossil fuel projects. At this point, I would call it a “thick green line,” as networks of local activists continue to lead us on our path to victory.
A lot of this will reach a crescendo during a week of action in September. Greta Thunberg, the young Swedish activist has challenged the world to take global action. Stay tuned for more details on our upcoming actions during September 20th-27th. We can’t do this without you!
Here’s what we’re up against:
Tacoma LNG
Even as Washington begins a transition to 100% clean electricity, Puget Sound Energy (PSE) continues its plans for an 8-million-gallon fracked gas facility on the Tacoma Tideflats. Despite opposition from the Puyallup Tribe, over 80 community organizations, and Governor Inslee, PSE has moved forward with this project without a permit from the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA).
The fight for treaty rights is everyone's responsibility. The Puyallup Tribe and the Water Warriors are steadfast in their opposition and we’re standing with them. Although construction continues, this facility still does not have all the required permits. The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency will be making a decision at the end of the month on the air permit--the last piece of the puzzle. But we still have an opportunity to halt the operation of this illegal facility. The air permit decision won’t be finalized until after another comment period, so we need you to speak out against this LNG facility. RSVP HERE for the August 27th hearing in Tacoma --we need you there.
To learn more about the Puyallup’s fight, check out the trailer for Native Daily Network’s film Ancestral Waters, and stay tuned for screenings near you.
Par Pacific: Expanded Oil Refineries in Tacoma
This is a new one and we have more to learn about it. Par Pacific has purchased US Oil in Tacoma, one of Washington's five refineries. They have announced plans to expand the facility to accept more tar sands oil, likely by tanker. A comment period is currently open on a clean water permit through August 9th. We are using it as an opportunity to tell the Department of Ecology that we are concerned about Par Pacific's future plans. We are waiting on confirmation of a public hearing in Tacoma on August 7th at 6:30 p.m. (Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 2102 South C Street in Tacoma, WA). RSVP here and submit a comment today!
Here is a Sightline article that says more.
Transmountain
Didn’t we win this one? Well, yes. Last August, we were victorious when Canada’s federal court of appeals issued a landmark ruling on the much anticipated Pull Together court case decision regarding the Trans Mountain pipeline--a reckless plan that would increase tar sands oil tankers in shared Washington and British Columbia waters by 700%. The court found that the government had failed in its duty to consult Indigenous peoples and to review the impacts on endangered orca. Yet, the Canadian government fast tracked a response to the courts and in June, the project was re-approved. Unfortunately, this is not the first time we have seen one of these projects come back from the dead. But we defeated the project once. We can do so again. Help us defeat this pipeline once and for all!
We are supporting First Nations peoples in a fundraising drive to support legal costs associated with taking this project back to court. Give here to support that effort, and RSVP for a major mobilization by the Lummi Nation at the U.S.-Canada border on September 27.
Kalama Methanol
Northwest Innovation Works (NWIW) is trying to build a methanol refinery in Kalama, which would become the State’s state's largest greenhouse gas polluter by 2025. The refinery would endanger Chinook salmon, the main source of food for our Southern Resident orca. A methanol spill would deplete the water of oxygen and kill all life beneath the spill. In the event of a spill, the marine die-off would undoubtedly affect the Chinook salmon and leave our orca to starve. The refinery would also necessitate a new fracked gas pipeline, likely down the I-5 Corridor from Canada, endangering private land, health, and safety while accelerating the expanded practice of fracking, and opening the floodgates for fracked gas usage, refining, and export in our region.
The good news is that we still have a major opportunity to prevent the refinery from going online. The Department of Ecology can stop the project this year by denying a critical permit. During our Week of Climate Action (September 23-27th), we will rally outside Ecology field offices in Bellevue, Olympia, and Vancouver to deliver hundreds of thousands of comments against this dirty and dangerous project. In the mean time, please sign our online petition to the Department of Ecology here
Longview Ammonia
This is also a new one that we have more to learn about.
A fossil fuel company is proposing to build a massive anhydrous ammonia refinery in Longview, WA. Anhydrous Ammonia is a liquefied natural gas petrochemical, used in chemical fertilizers. It would be built on the existing Mint Farm in Longview, dangerously close to residential and retail areas. This project would use 50-60 million cubic feet of fracked gas per day, causing disastrous climate impacts from fracked gas extraction, transportation, and refining; it would also require a new pipeline expansion along residential areas and across the Cowlitz river.
The City of Longview is drafting an environmental impact statement which will be used to determine permit approvals for the project. There will be a hearing and comment period on this study sometime this year. This is our chance to give public input into the permitting process and ensure an accurate environmental review. Keep an eye out and join our list to be notified when the time comes.
If you’d like to learn more about any of these campaigns, feel free to contact Victoria. If you’re looking to get involved, consider applying to volunteer with us!