Biomass Pellet facility in Hoquiam

 Pacific Northwest Renewable Energy  has proposed a Biomass Pellet factory next to the Chip operation on Moon Island.

From their construction permit:

Pacific Northwest Renewable Energy, LLC (PNWRE) is proposing to construct and operate a wood pellet facility on an approximately 60-acre parcel in the city of Hoquiam, Washington. The facility would include a wood biomass pellet plant, storage silos, and a new conveyor that would connect to an existing conveyor at the Willis Enterprises Moon Island Chip Mill (Willis Enterprises).

 The processing of woody biomass at the proposed PNWRE facility would involve the use of three truck tippers; a chips cleaning line with air emissions controlled by a cyclone; two wet hammer mills with air emissions controlled by cyclones; one hog fuel furnace and dryer with air emissions controlled by a wet electrostatic precipitator (WESP) and a regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO); four dry hammer mills, each with air emissions controlled by a combined cyclone and fabric filter system (cyclofilter); 12 pellet mills in production and two cooling lines with air emissions controlled by baghouses; a regenerative catalytic oxidizer (RCO) controlling air emissions from the combined dry hammer mills and pellet cooling lines; five wood pellet storage silos; and a covered conveyor system to deliver wood pellets to the existing Willis Enterprises conveyance system and ship loadout facility. The wet raw materials for pellet production and hog fuel for the furnace would be delivered to the facility via truck. The facility would have the capacity to process up to 440,800 tons per year (TPY) of dried wood pellets. 

The project would induce emissions of air contaminants in the region, thereby requiring an approved Notice of Construction (NOC) application from the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA). The PNWRE facility is not expected to generate criteria pollutant emissions in quantities that would trigger the need for a Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit but is anticipated to trigger the need for a Title V Air Operating Permit. The facility would be an area source of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), as potential emissions of each individual HAP would be less than the applicable major source threshold, 10 TPY. Total HAP are less than the combined HAP major-source threshold, 25 TPY. 

Olympic Region Clean Air Agency permit is here 

Emissions concerns raised over Hoquiam pellet plant proposal The Daily World, Jan 19, 2024

Biomass boom is coming: Is the NW ready? The Chinook Observer April 9, 2024

Peril on the Chehalis

THE CHEHALIS AT A CROSSROADS:  PLANS FOR A FLOOD CONTROL DAM THREATEN THE HEADWATERS

The era of dam building is over. In the past 30 years, 1275 dams have been torn down, according to the nonprofit American Rivers.  The United States has been experiencing an ecological revival, illustrated in Washington by the hugely successful dam removal on the Elwha River. 

Yet flooding, exacerbated by climate change-fueled storms, aggressive logging in the headwaters of the Chehalis River, and construction of communities and infrastructure in the flood plain, threatens people, farms, churches, businesses, transportation corridors, and neighborhoods. Talk to anyone who lived through the floods of 2007 and 2009, and you get a sense of the lingering community trauma. 

History

The Chehalis River is the homeland of the Confederated Tribe of the Chehalis, who have lived with the river and its flooding for thousands of years. It is one of Washington’s grand coastal rivers, with the most robust wild salmon population of any river in Washington. Currently, there are no dams on the main channel, and no populations of salmon are listed as threatened or endangered. Its populations of spring and fall Chinook, upon which our struggling Southern Resident Orca whales depend, are already severely depleted. If a dam is built, the populations of spring and fall Chinook that spawn above the dam site may go extinct.

The River’s Epic Journey

For thousands of years the Chehalis River meandered, without undue burdens from human development, from its headwaters in the Willapa Hills to the estuary now known as Grays Harbor. During large rain events, water from the headwaters was “metered” by forests of huge trees in the Willapa Hills. There, deep forest soils and abundant in-stream woody debris moderated flows. Adjacent wetlands and floodplain areas absorbed flood flows and filtered the river. Its waters were clear, and its channels were full of migrating salmon. 

But much has changed. Its headwaters are a checkerboard pattern of clearcuts and young trees. Its banks and channel bed eroded when it was used to transport tons of logs to mills. Gravel and sand has been mined from its channels. Its shade-producing riparian forests have been removed; its water withdrawn to irrigate farms. It receives treated sewage, polluted municipal and industrial stormwater. 

In some areas, people have turned floodplains into commercial hubs, freeways, and railroads. 

Downstream, where the river forms the estuary, riprap and dredging completely transformed its banks to accommodate international shipping. Its salmon populations have fallen to a fraction of what they once were. All of the changes to the watershed – combined with climate change-fueled storms – has compromised this magnificent river and its network of tributaries almost beyond repair. 

But the river still provides. It is used for tribal and recreational fishing, boating, and swimming, as well as aesthetic and spiritual values. It flows to an estuary where enormous numbers of shellfish are cultured and harvested. It nourishes habitat for entire food web of aquatic species, from microscopic algae to gray whales.

What is Planned

The Chehalis River Flood Control District is proposing to build a dam on the headwaters of the Chehalis River to reduce flood damage in the Chehalis-Centralia area. The catastrophic flood in 2007 triggered calls for a dam, and as a result, the State created the Chehalis Basin Strategy. Through this process the State has provided funding and led planning for flood hazard reduction, including a dam, and aquatic species restoration. The Office of the Chehalis Basin, created by the Washington Legislature in 2017, works towards this dual strategy. 

A Better Idea

The era of dam building is over, and we have learned some lessons. There are better solutions to reducing damage from floods than a dam. We can restore natural watershed and floodplain function to the upper Chehalis River aggressively, with techniques such as improved forest practices in the headwaters, and watershed, floodplain, and habitat restoration. We need to find sensible ways to protect people and structures, including flood proofing structures, repetitive damage buy-outs, and conservation easements. . These techniques and others as described in the Aquatic Species Restoration Plan will make for more long-term solutions. 

Actions To Take  

Please attend one or both public hearings for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), which will be released on February 27^th.  A public comment period will begin on February 27, for 61 days. The DEIS will give information about the probable, significant, adverse environmental impacts of the proposal. The purpose of the public hearings will be to receive public comments on the DEIS. This information will be used by the Chehalis Basin Board to help form their recommendations about the long-term goals of the strategy.

Meeting Locations

• Tuesday, March 31, Centralia College, TransAlta Commons. 600 Centralia College Boulevard, Centralia 98531. 5:00-8:30
• Thursday, April 2, Montesano Jr. Sr. Highschool, Commons Room. 303 Church Street North, Montesano 98563. 5:00 – 8:30

Find out more:  http://chehalisbasinstrategy.com/eis/

Stay in touch with Twin Harbors Waterkeeper & Citizens for a Clean Harbor to receive more information about this project and others that affect water quality in the waters of the Chehalis River, Grays Harbor, and Willapa Bay.

Cosmo Specialty Fibers Air Permit

Have you been noticing the Aberdeen aroma lately that sometimes makes it as far as Westport? Here's a chance to comment on one of its major contributors.

Air quality permit
Cosmo Specialty Fibers, Cosmopolis pulp mill

Comment period: Dec. 20, 2019 – Jan. 31, 2020
We invite you to comment on the following air quality permit for the Cosmo Specialty Fibers pulp mill in Cosmopolis (Grays Harbor county).

· Draft Air Operating Permit
· Support document  the permit and the changes we propose to make.
Read the public comment notice and visit our webpage for more information, such as how to send us a comment.

Public event
A public meeting, followed by a hearing to accept oral comments, will take place:

Jan. 29, 2020
Starting a 6:30 p.m.
At Grays Harbor College Rooms 413 A/B, 1620 Edward P. Smith Drive, in Aberdeen, Wash.

Special accommodations
To request ADA accommodation for disabilities, or printed materials in a format for the visually impaired, call Ecology at (360) 407-6831 or ecyadacoordinator@ecy.wa.gov. Persons with impaired hearing may call Washington Relay Service at 711. Persons with a speech disability may call TTY at 800-833-6388.

In the mean time, if you smell the burning rubber smell, please call Ha Tran and report it.  Her number is (360) 407 6064.  Be prepared to tell her the location where you noticed the smell, the time, and a description of the smell.

A Toxic Legacy

Why cleaning up toxic waste sites is important – Part 1

via Front and Centered

Right now, in Washington State – there are over 12,500 known or suspected properties that are contaminated with toxic chemicals.  These chemicals are in the groundwater, soil, and/or sediment.  Typical contaminants include petroleum, metals, solvents, and highly toxic chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins and furans.  Some toxic sites are contaminating our air.  Cleanup at many of these sites is relatively simple, such as at a gas station with leaking underground storage tanks. Others are very complex, such as a shuttered industrial site that left behind a cocktail of long-lived highly toxic chemicals on the ground that flowed into the groundwater or sediments.  Many toxic sites are the legacy from past heavy industry including mining, milling, boat building and manufacturing.  Much of this toxic pollution was left in our midst years ago, before we knew the impact and before laws were passed that prohibited dumping chemicals on our land, water, or in unlined landfills.

Washington’s environmental cleanup law is the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA).  It works to protect our health by funding and directing the investigation and cleanup of contaminated sites.  A hallmark of MTCA is a prescribed cleanup process during which cleanup alternatives are developed and evaluated, as well as several times where people have opportunities to provide comments and learn about the proposed cleanup alternatives.  About 6,600 cleanups of hazardous sites have been cleaned up under the MTCA process so far.

How MTCA got started

In 1980, a Federal “Superfund” law was passed to clean up hazardous waste sites.  The purpose of this law, known as The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) was to clean up hazardous-waste sites.  CERCLA gave the Environmental Protection Agency the authority to seek out those parties responsible for contamination and assure their cooperation in the cleanup.  It also required states to identify contaminated sites.

MTCA is sometimes known as Washington State’s cleanup law.  In Washington, MTCA originated from citizens’ Initiative 97 and became law in 1989.  Its key provisions are that cleanups should be as permanent as possible, the polluter pays the costs, and that public participation is essential.  MTCA also includes a tax on hazardous substances including petroleum, pesticides, and other chemicals to pay for these processes.   

The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) receives MTCA funds to implement and enforce MTCA.  Ecology’s team of site managers, toxicologists, engineers, and hydrogeologists manage most of the cleanups in Washington.  Ecology also manages several grant programs that help local governments clean up contaminated sites, as well as grant programs that provide funds to non-governmental organizations to promote public participation and awareness of contaminated sites and pollution problems.  

What this means for Grays Harbor County and the Chehalis Watershed

Within the city limits of Aberdeen and Hoquiam, there are over 150 MTCA cleanup sites, most of which have not been cleaned up, nor have cleanup processes started.  Most of these sites were listed because of leaking underground storage tanks or leaking heating oil tanks.  In some cases, Ecology allows the least complicated sites to be cleaned up under a voluntary cleanup process (VCP).  But any sites with complex contamination are cleaned up under MTCA.  The most contaminated sites are rated for environmental and human health risk, with a rating from 1 to 5, with 1 having the most human and environmental risk. There are about 10 sites in the Grays Harbor area with a rating of 1, and few of these sites have entered into the cleanup process.

photo: Lee First

Here in the Harbor, we live on an estuary.  Many of us depend on the water for jobs, food, and commerce. Many of us recreate here and live here because of the abundant fish, shellfish and water resources.  Contaminated sites affect our health, the environment, and limit economic growth in many industrial areas. Because of our position in the landscape, we receive all the water from the 123-mile long Chehalis River watershed, as well as other rivers. The estuary is where all the water ends up – and it receives discharges from cleanup sites, wastewater treatment plant outfalls, stormwater discharge pipes, sheet runoff, and agricultural runoff.  In order to protect our way of life, it behooves us all to learn about water quality, contribute to cleanup site processes, and above all – adopt behaviors that help keep our water clean.

photo via https://www.historicalseaport.org/

Success is possible. One important site on the Harbor is undergoing the MTCA process.  At the Weyerhaeuser Sawmill Aberdeen/Seaport Landing Site, past sawmill operations and forest product industry practices contaminated soil, sediment and groundwater.  A public meeting was recently held, and the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority will use past investigations and close data gaps to conduct additional studies and develop a cleanup action plan.  These cleanups are thorough and take many years to complete.

Part 2 of this article will focus on several important cleanup sites in Grays Harbor that have received a rank of 1.

This op-ed was funded by a Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) Public Participation Grant, but was not necessarily endorsed by Ecology.

Lee First is the Twin Harbors Waterkeeper, which is a member of the International Waterkeeper Alliance.  Waterkeepers around the world work for fishable, drinkable, swimmable water.

Offshore Drilling Open House

Join us on Monday, March 5th to stand strong against offshore drilling and protect our state’s vital coastal economies and ecosystems. 

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is hosting Public Meetings across the country in an open house format. BOEM will NOT be accepting oral public comment at the only open house in Washington State, March 5th in Olympia. That’s why we’re having a People’s Hearing where testimony can be given, taken down by a stenographer, and submitted as official comments.

What: Public Meeting about Offshore Drilling and People’s Hearing

Where: Hotel RL Olympia by Red Lion, 2300 Evergreen Park Dr SW

When: Monday, March 5, 1:30 – 7:30 pm

1:30-2:00 Keynote Speakers 

2:00-7:30 People’s Hearing 

3:00-7:00 BOEM Open House

5:00-6:00 Dinner

First Name

Last Name

Email

Phone number

Go here for carpool signup information: https://www.groupcarpool.com/t/4ix2jf

CANCELLED!! Defend Our Coast From Offshore Drilling

The event tomorrow has been cancelled by the venue, Landmark Catering & Convention Center.
We hope to reschedule soon.

The press conference will continue on Monday from 1-2pm, but due to the venue cancellation, there will not be room for public attendance. Please tune in to watch the press conference via the livestream here.

Please submit your comments on line to BOEM:

You can still leave your comment online util March 9: at https://www.boem.gov/National-Program-Comment/

Previous post:
Cross-posted from our friends at Surfrider.

JANUARY 11, 2018

Trump Administration Announces Plans To Open Washington Coast To Offshore Drilling, It’s Time to #DefendOurCoast

Last week, the Trump administration announced plans to expand offshore drilling on over 90% of the Outer Continental Shelf along America’s coastline, including our wild and rugged Washington Coast. This new drilling puts our nation’s coastal communities, beaches, surf breaks, and marine ecosystems at risk of a catastrophic oil spill. Included in this post are an array of actions that can be taken in the near future to speak up and help #DefendOurCoast.

Don’t let this be the view of the Washington Coast

The Proposed Offshore Oil & Gas Leasing Program for 2019 – 2024 would open thousands of miles of U.S. coastline to oil drilling, including regions such as the Atlantic and Pacific that have been protected for decades from this dangerous practice. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has opened a 60-day comment period for citizens to provide feedback on the proposal, and the agency is also planning public hearings in affected communities in the coming weeks, there will be ONLY ONE hearing in Washington state.

February 5   Tacoma, WA

Tacoma’s Landmark Catering and Convention Center

47 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, WA 98402

https://www.facebook.com/events/387337368382789/

This is part of the largest assault on our ocean in American history. Make your voice heard and keep this disastrous new exploration from harming our coastlines. Below are 5 easy ways to plug in and make a difference:

1. Contact Your Federal Representative & Senators via our Action Alert
2. Attend the Offshore Drilling Rally Feb 5th in Tacoma
3. Submit Public Comments on the Plan via BOEM Public Comment by March 9th (See Fact sheet and sample letter)
4. Spread the word and get active with your local Surfrider Chapter
5. Download the Oil Rig picture below and share via your social media

West Coast Leaders Speak Up To Defend Our Coasts: Washington Governor Jay Inslee, California Governor Jerry Brown and Oregon Governor Kate Brown recently issued this joint statement following the announcement that the U.S. Department of Interior would seek to open the Pacific Coast to oil and gas offshore drilling for the first time in decades:

“This political decision to open the magnificent and beautiful Pacific Coast waters to oil and gas drilling flies in the face of decades of strong opposition on the part of Washington, Oregon and California – from Republicans and Democrats alike.

“They’ve chosen to forget the utter devastation of past offshore oil spills to wildlife and to the fishing, recreation and tourism industries in our states. They’ve chosen to ignore the science that tells us our climate is changing and we must reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. But we won’t forget history or ignore science.

“For more than 30 years, our shared coastline has been protected from further federal drilling and we’ll do whatever it takes to stop this reckless, short-sighted action.”

Senator Maria Cantwell: “The Trump Administration’s proposal to allow drilling off the coast in the Pacific region, despite the vocal opposition of local communities and every west coast Senator, represents an outrageous attack on our coastal economies, culture, and environment. Washingtonians want to keep thriving on the coast and I will fight to protect their jobs, communities, and environment.”

SW Washington Representative Jamie Herrera-Beutler: “I don’t support offshore oil & gas exploration in states that don’t want it & WA’s citizens have never indicated any desire to have oil and gas activity off their coast.” 

The Washington Coast is a Special Place Worthy of Protection

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Ecology, and Department of Natural Resources pulled together an impressive letter that was sent to BOEM last August in opposition to offshore drilling and clearly articulating all of the important uses and resources that would be reasonably foreseeable to be effected by oil and gas drilling.

Download the Letter->2017-08-Request for Information Letter FINAL signed

Apparently Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke didn’t get Washington’s memo… as yesterday it was announced that Florida would be removed from consideration for drilling, Zinke said, due to the importance of tourism to the state. Maybe he’d also be interested in taking a look at the Washington Coast Recreational Use Study which demonstrated that in 2014 Washington’s residents spent nearly a half of billion dollars on coastal tourism and recreation.

The Surfrider Foundation is pleased that Secretary Zinke has recognized that Florida’s coasts are heavily reliant on tourism and that its communities, businesses, and state leaders are strongly opposed to offshore drilling. Hundreds of local communities and state leaders across the country have been loud and clear in opposition of new offshore drilling for the same reasons. We call on the Secretary to listen to the voices from all U.S. states on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, which are heavily dependent on coastal tourism, and withdraw his destructive oil drilling plan.  

Is there a method to this madness? Danny Westneat posed that question in an article in the Seattle Times, highlighting the fact that “in Washington, where it’s believed there are some oil and gas deposits, the general area of drilling overlaps in large part with the 4,000-square-mile Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary — where oil drilling currently is barred.”

Weekend Updates & Actions

Things to Click!

Tesoro Anacortes Shoreline Permit Public Hearing
The proposed project includes additions and upgrades to the Tesoro Anacortes refinery’s existing facility in order to produce 15,000 barrels per day of mixed xylenes and to supply cleaner local transportation fuels. Mixed xylene is a compound found in gasoline, and is used to make clothing, plastics and other synthetic products. Details on these facility additions and upgrades are included on the project page of this website.
Written testimony must be received by Skagit County PDS no later than 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 1, 2017
More Details

Tacoma Tideflats Fossil Fuel Pause

Please send a comment to the Tacoma City Council, thanking it for “pausing” Fossil Fuel projects (including the proposed LNG Terminal), in order to study the issues more.

In addition to recruiting people to attend the public hearing in Tacoma next Tuesday October 17 at 5:30 pm, we need comments into the City Council.

Please submit comments to: cityclerk@cityoftacoma.org by 1 pm on Tuesday October 17.

Say NO to Coal Mining in Washington

Please voice your concerns against Pacific Coast Coal Company (PCCC)’s dangerous proposal to recommence pit-mining and coal processing near Black Diamond, Washington and the Green River.

PCCC proposes to excavate 737,000 short tons of coal reserves from 2 open pit mines at the John Henry No. 1 Coal Minesite. If this project moves forward, it will be the first coal mine to start operating in Washington State since the TransAlta open-pit coal mine near Centralia ceased operations in 2006.

Learn to write an effective Letter to the Editor

How can your passion for science and your local newspaper help influence your members of Congress? With the right letter to the editor on the latest attacks on science, you can make your words go further.

Please join the Union of Concerned Scientists for a Science Champions training on how to write an effective letter to the editor and get it printed in your local paper.

Date: Wednesday, October 25

Time: 7:30–8:15 p.m. EDT (4:30–5:15 p.m. PDT)

Hold a Ballot Party with your friends

Did you miss the HT Hold a Ballot Party podcast from the Grassroots 101 Sessions on Monday? You can still watch it at this link, and you don't need to be on FB. Look under their Videos tab for more Grassroots 101 workshops.

Things to Go To!

Town Hall with Governor Inslee

We are hoping there will be one locally, or even in Olympia.

Auburn –

Date: Thursday, October 12^th, 2017

Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Location: Lindbloom Student Union Building | 12401 SE 302th Street, Auburn, WA 98092

Bellevue –

Date: Thursday, October 19^th, 2017

Time: 2:15 pm – 3:15 pm

Location: Carlson Theatre, Bellevue Community College | 3000 Landerholm Circle SE, Bellevue 98007

Seattle –

Date: Wednesday, October 25^th, 2017

Time: 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm

Location: University of Washington | Room location TBD

 Totem Pole Journey 2017

Kwel’Hoy, We Draw the Line!

The totem pole, created by Master Carver Jewell James of the Lummi Nation House of Tears carvers, will remind us of our place within nature, our responsibility to future generations, and our connections to each other and to our communities.

                                                    Photo credit: Paul K. Anderson

Join the Totem Pole Journey

Tacoma, WA

When: Sunday, October 15, 6:30 - 8:00 pm (6:00 blessing meet the totem pole travelers and blessing)

Where: Foss Waterway Seaport (705 Doc St, Tacoma, 98402)

Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.<wbr>com/events/198640147343570/

Vancouver, WA

When: Monday, October 16, 6:30 - 8:00 pm (6:00 blessing meet the totem pole travelers and blessing)

Where: Vancouver Community Library (901 C St, Vancouver, 98660)

Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.<wbr>com/events/467671090272821/

Portland, OR

When: Tuesday, October 17, 6:30-8:00 pm (6:00 blessing meet the totem pole travelers and blessing)

Where: Ecotrust building, 721 NW 9th Ave. Ste. 200, Portland, Oregon 97206

Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.<wbr>com/events/372933196474425/

​* you don't need to be "on" FB to view these​

Alliance for Jobs & Clean Energy 

Olympia Kickoff on October 24th

We are excited to announce that Governor Inslee and Beth Doglio are going to speak at our Olympia Kickoff on October 24th! 

When: October 24th @ 7 PM

Where: The Olympia Center, 222 Columbia St NW, Olympia, WA, 98501

RSVP Here

FB RSVP Here

Public hearing on Millennium’s 

Shorelines permits & Community Appreciation Dinner Party 

(if you’ve attended a rally, signed a petition, or volunteered at a “no coal” event, this party is for YOU!)
Thursday, November 2, 2017. Arrive by noon for the rally! Testimony begins at 1:00 pm and the community appreciation party from 5:00-7:00 pm.

Cowlitz County Conference Center, 1900 7th Ave SW, Longview, WA 98632. The community appreciation dinner party will be held in the Power Past Coal hospitality suite at the conference center.

Remember to wear red and RSVP early!

We are working on carpool plans from 

Grays Harbor-- Stay tuned!

Draft plan to address ocean shoreline uses
November 7, Aberdeen, 6 p.m.  – Grays Harbor College, Manspeaker Building Room 2250, 
1620 Edward P. Smith Dr.

The state’s proposed marine spatial plan would establish a process for coordinating among local and tribal governments, as well as with state and federal agencies to ensure interest groups and the public have opportunities to weigh on future projects.

The draft plan is now out for public review and comment. The state worked closely with local and tribal governments, other state agencies, the Washington Coastal Marine Advisory Council, environmental and planning groups, the private sector and the public to develop the plan.

Public comments for the draft marine spatial plan and related EIS are due to Ecology by Tuesday, Dec. 12. They can be submitted online or by mail to: Jennifer Hennessey, Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600.

Things to Read!

Potash Updates

From KXRO Radio:

According to BHP, they are valuing the proposed project at around $440 million in investment. Based on those calculations, the fee would sit at $445,000.

“BHP understands the fee is calculated starting with a base, $7,000 for the first $2 million, with an incremental $1,000 increase for each $1 million of project value over $2 million with no upper limit.”

From The Daily World:

“Shay said in his talks with BHP, the company said the $440 million total listed in the permit application included project costs that should not have been used in the permit application. Shay said BHP plans to get him something in writing requesting that the city consider a lower project cost for the permit evaluation.

“We expect to receive payment for the outside permit review by Oct. 17,” said Shay. “Once this happens, we will begin review of the application as their request to modify our fee structure is considered by the City Council.”

You can view the 1,087-page document for the first permit application on the Potash Export Facility here (be patient waiting for it to open)  http://fogh.org/doc/BHP-City-submittal.Sept%202017.pdf

48 Environmental Rules on the Way Out Under Trump 

Boom and Busted: Herring Collapse in Prince William Sound

Resist Andeavor/Tesoro Anacortes Refinery Megaloads!

HOW DO OUR BODIES RESPOND TO POLLUTION?

-and-

When your house is on fire