Download PDF
The Washington Department of Ecology (“WDE”) sent an October 9th letter to Cowlitz County, Washington addressing a Shoreline Conditional Use Permit (“CUP”) application to construct and operate a facility (“Facility”) to manufacture and export methanol at the Port of Kalama in Kalama, Washington.
The applicants are the Port of Kalama and Northwest Innovation Works.
The October 9th letter describes the County’s conclusion that an inadequate Environmental Impact Statement had been prepared describing potential impacts. Further, it references previous proceedings addressing the requested CUP.
WDE states that it is at the point where it must decide whether to approve, approve with conditions, or disapprove the CUP.
WDE concludes, based on information contained in a 2019 Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, that:
. . . the permit submittal is incomplete and therefore cannot be evaluated by our department as a “complete submittal,” as provided in WAC 173-27-130. Specifically, Ecology requires additional information on the following items contained in the 2019 Supplemental EIS, in order to evaluate whether the Project is consistent with the review criteria for CUPs provided in WAC 173-27-160.
The additional information requested by WDE involves questions associated with carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions. The requested information includes:
- In-State Greenhouse Gas Emissions Mitigation Plan (requesting seven additional sets of information regarding the voluntary greenhouse gas mitigation program)
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions Analysis in the 2019 Supplemental EIS (asking for additional information regarding displacement of global methanol production, sensitivity analysis associated with final and use of methanol combusted as fuel, comparison of other displacement technologies)
WDE states it will make a final permit determination for the Facility once the requested information is received.
A copy of the letter can be downloaded here.
