Fossil fuel companies are still trying to build the world’s largest fracked gas to methanol refinery, right here in Washington state. The refinery, proposed for the banks of the Columbia River in Kalama, would produce more than 6 million tons of greenhouse gases, equivalent to 1.3 million cars. Its enormous demand for fracked gas would create the rationale to build even more dangerous gas pipeline capacity up and down the I-5 corridor, allowing more fracked gas projects in our communities.
This single refinery would use more gas than all power plants in Washington combined, rationalizing gas pipeline expansions down the I-5 Corridor, which would endanger our communities with air pollution, potential explosions and eminent domain. It would take fracked gas from Canada, refine it to methanol and ship it to China to either manufacture plastics or be used as fuel. The refinery itself bears high risk of explosion and chemical spillage in the Columbia River, endangering our already dwindling salmon populations.
Last year, this project came dangerously close to becoming fully permitted, until the Sierra Club and our partners won a major legal victory, forcing project backers to complete a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) that includes the impacts of fracking, gas transportation, and consumption. Permitting agencies are currently accepting public comment to determine the breadth and depth of this SEIS.
Over the past decade Washington state has been flooded with proposals for new fossil fuel infrastructure, and with your help, none of them have been built. Let’s make sure this one fails too!
Thank you for all you do to protect Washington’s environment!
Sincerely,
Cecile Gernez
Conservation Organizer
Sierra Club Washington State Chapter
PS: Be sure to take action today and share this petition on Facebook!
To learn more about the work of the Sierra Club Washington Chapter, visit our website and our Facebook page.
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