Feeling the pressure of community opposition, Northwest Innovation Works (NWIW) asked the City of Tacoma in a surprise move to “pause” its environmental review of the proposed methanol plant on the Tacoma tide flats. And the city granted the request Feb. 19.
NWIW reported it was “surprised by the tone and substance of the vocal opposition that has emerged in Tacoma” and “will use the next several months to engage the Tacoma community in further dialogue.” (At right, crowd watching presentation by activist Wilma Subra.)
The city councils of Normandy Park, Des Moines and Federal Way have passed resolutions opposing the plant. State Reps. Laurie Jinkins and Jake Fey have introduced a bill that aims to ensure that a tax break on the sale of manufacturing machinery and equipment wouldn’t apply to companies that produce methanol from natural gas.
In its statement, the City of Tacoma said it will treat the decision to suspend the environmental review as the applicant’s decision not to proceed with its current application. The city will carry comments made now into a new scoping process should the application be renewed.
Public meetings on the scope of the environmental impact statement have had overflow crowds, with about 1,200 showing up at the meeting Feb. 10. The city canceled what was to be the last public meeting on the proposal.
We are asking you to continue sending your comments. This project affects us all. It will use fracked gas delivered by pipeline from Canada resulting in methane emissions that are huge contributors to greenhouse gas and climate change. Information and help are here.
The project’s opponents (including the Sierra Club) are assuming NWIW will renew its application and are continuing their efforts to educate the population about the negative effects a methanol plant will have on the health of the community and on climate change.
To that end, the Tatoosh Group (Pierce County) of the Sierra Club and the University of Puget Sound, Sound Policy Institute sponsored two presentations of “Environmental and Human Health Impacts of Methanol Plants” Feb. 23 and 25. Well-known chemist and activist Wilma Subra described the toxic chemicals emitted by methanol plants and their effects to standing room only crowds. See her presentation here. (At right, photo of Wilma Subra.)