By Victoria Leistman, Dirty Fuels Organizer
It’s been four years since the fight against Puget Sound Energy’s Tacoma LNG facility began. During this time, the facility has continued to be built without consultation or consent from the Puyallup Tribe, and before it had received all of its necessary permits. We know this facility endangers our health, safety, and climate, threatening Indigenous, Brown, and Black communities first and worst. The Puyallup Tribe is steadfast in their opposition to the facility and we continue to follow their leadership in this fight.
EarthJustice is representing us and a number of other health/environmental organizations on an appeal of the air permit, which was issued by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency in 2019 despite inaccurate environmental review and years of community opposition. The Puyallup Tribe is also appealing this permit. The cases will be heard back to back for two weeks starting on April 12th.
We are asking for the air permit from the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency to be revoked. If we win this appeal and the air permit is rescinded, the environmental review of the facility needs to start over. It’s a big ask, but our legal arguments are strong.
And our Power Past Fracked Gas community is creative and resilient. On March 24th, we held “The People vs. PSE,” a mock trial aimed at public education and media attention to build up the drumbeat for the real hearing. Charges against PSE include criminal neglect of treaty rights, false advertising, threatening community health and safety, and promoting climate destruction. We had over 130 attendees and the jury was unanimous in finding PSE guilty on all counts.
By pushing new fossil fuel facilities like Tacoma LNG and spreading dangerous misinformation about fracked gas, PSE is slowing our clean energy transition and putting their profits above our health. PSE continues to prove that they are just another fossil fuel company willing to sacrifice our health and environment to line their pockets. It’s actions like the mock trial that remind us of the strength of people power in exposing their bad actions.
Three things you can do to help this month:
1. Right now, PSE is looking to finalize a contract with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) to begin operations without waiting to hear the results of the appeal. Send a note to the UTC today and ask them to delay the contract until the Puyallup Tribe and EarthJustice get their legal decision. This is a huge opportunity to delay Tacoma LNG from turning on. Send a note to the UTC today!
2. Flags for the Future: Our friends at 350Tacoma are surrounding the LNG construction site with positive thoughts of alternate possibilities in the form of colorful flags - each of your "tweet" sized messages will be written onto a flag and hung along the fence. Write a brief message here!
3. Right now, you can tune into EarthJustice and the Puyallup Tribe's litigation that began on April 12th and runs until April 23rd. Sign up to join our watch and recap parties here!
Thank you to everyone who has worked on stopping this terrible project over the years. We’re at a key moment in getting permits walked back and having justice be served. Stick with us!