3A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2017
Washington state deals blow to
plan for coal export terminal
Project pitched
for Longview
By RACHEL LA CORTE
Associated Press
OLYMPIA, Wash. — A
company that wants to build
and operate a large terminal to
export coal from the western
U.S. to Asia was denied a key
permit by Washington state on
Tuesday because of environ-
mental concerns.
The Department of Ecology
rejected a water quality permit
that Millennium Bulk Termi-
nals sought because the pro-
posed facility near Longview
would have caused “signifi -
cant and unavoidable harm” to
the environment. The depart-
ment cited effects to air qual-
ity, noise pollution and tribal
resources, among others.
“There are simply too
many unavoidable and nega-
tive environmental effects for
the project to move forward,”
Ecology Director Maia Bellon
said in a statement.
Millennium Bulk Termi-
nals has long hoped to build
a facility along the Columbia
River to handle up to 44 mil-
lion tons of coal a year. Trains
would carry the coal from
Montana, Wyoming and other
states, which would be loaded
onto ships headed to Asia.
William Chapman, the
president and CEO of Mil-
lennium, said the company
will appeal the decision and
expects “a fairer and more
consistent interpretation of the
law.”
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
The Washington Department of Ecology said Tuesday it
rejected a water quality permit that Millennium Bulk Termi-
nals wanted because the proposed facility near Longview
in southwest Washington state would have caused ‘signif-
icant and unavoidable harm’ to the environment.
“Multiple recent deci-
sions by the agency seem
biased against the Longview
community, and particularly
blind to the need for employ-
ment opportunities in Cowlitz
County,” he said in a written
statement.
Environmentalists, tribes
and others have fi ercely
opposed the project — which
could increase U.S. exports of
coal by 40 percent — because
of concerns about global
warming, coal dust pollution
and potential damage to fi sh-
eries on the river. Several of
those groups lauded Tuesday’s
decision.
“The state did the right
thing today, standing up for
clean water, public health and
the Pacifi c Northwest’s iconic
endangered salmon runs,”
Power Past Coal co-director
Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky said
in a statement.
Boost local economy
Businesses, some labor
groups and other support-
ers say the project would cre-
ate jobs, add tax revenue and
boost the local economy. The
governor of Wyoming, the
nation’s leading coal-produc-
ing state, previously traveled
to the Pacifi c Northwest to
pitch the importance of coal
exports to the governors of
Washington and Oregon.
Kris Johnson, president of
the Association of Washington
Business, criticized the pro-
cess that led to the decision,
saying that the project has
faced “unprecedented regula-
tory hurdles.”
“We need companies to
invest in manufacturing,
construction and infrastruc-
ture to support trade,” he
wrote in a prepared state-
ment. “Instead of turning
away investment, our lead-
ers should be encouraging
responsible growth.”
Montana’s attorney gen-
eral said he plans to review the
decision to make sure the law
has been followed.
Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead
said that despite Washington’s
decision, “Wyoming will con-
tinue to work towards a plan
that allows for the safe trans-
portation of coal through
coastal ports.”
An environmental review
released in April by Wash-
ington’s ecology department
and Cowlitz County analyzed
potential harm to fi sh habitat,
wetlands, water quality, local
communities and more. Of 23
environmental areas, 19 would
face harmful effects, and some
could not be offset or reduced,
offi cials said at the time.
The review found that coal
dust pollution from trains would
not be major because emissions
levels would be below state and
federal standards, but pollution
from locomotives would raise
the cancer risk for one low-in-
come neighborhood.
Noise and traffi c
Residents also would see
more noise and traffi c delays
at rail crossings without a
quiet zone or other measures,
the study said. At full capacity,
the project would add 16 more
trains through the area and
increase the number of ships
by 1,680 a year.
Gov. Jay Inslee said he was
confi dent that state ecology
offi cials “based their decision
on sound science and in accor-
dance with the law.”
Oregon lodging lobby sues Bend over tourism budget use
Associated Press
BEND — An Oregon lob-
bying group and two hotels
are suing Bend claiming the
city violated state law by
using a portion of its budget
earmarked for tourism mar-
keting on street repair.
The Bulletin reported
Groups sue
Washington state
to stop wolf kills
that the Oregon Restaurant
and Lodging Association
filed the lawsuit Tuesday
as a result of the Bend City
Council’s decision in May
to spend about $350,000
of the $3.5 million bud-
geted for tourism on road
maintenance.
Association
President
Jason Brandt says state
law prohibits the city from
decreasing the amount it
spends on tourism as the
state requires a certain per-
centage of room taxes to go
to tourism marketing.
Assistant City Attorney
Ian Leitheiser says the city’s
actions comply with state
law as the tourism market-
ing allocation is above the
30 percent requirement.
In Astoria, the city has
used tourism promotion
money to help pay for park
maintenance and related
services, arguing that tour-
ists use city parks and other
resources.
Warrenton searching
for replacement for
public works director
By KATIE
FRANKOWICZ
The Daily Astorian
WARRENTON — War-
renton is on the hunt for a
new public works director.
Jim Dunn, who held the
position for just over a year,
put in his notice in early Sep-
tember. His last day with the
city was Sept. 14. City Engi-
neer Collin Stelzig has taken
over as interim public works
director until the city hires a
replacement.
As public works direc-
tor, Dunn oversaw the city’s
largest department, with 19
full-time employees. The
department is responsible for
collecting and treating waste-
water, providing drinking
water, maintaining sewer and
storm water systems as well
as the city’s dikes and 10
Man goes missing while
picking mushrooms
Associated Press
TILLAMOOK — Author-
ities from multiple agencies
are searching for a 49-year-
old man who was reported
missing after he didn’t return
from picking mushrooms in
the Tillamook State Forest.
KGW-TV reported Michael
Scott Lund was reported miss-
ing by a friend Monday.
The Tillamook County
Sheriff’s Offi ce says Lund
was in the area of Drift Creek
Forest Road about 30 miles
east of Tillamook.
Lund was described as a
5-foot-10, 220-pound white
man with brown hair and
blue eyes. He was last seen
wearing a gray fl annel shirt,
tan pants and a baseball hat.
The sheriff’s offi ce says
Lund doesn’t have food or
water for an extended stay in
the wilderness.
Lund’s family says he
doesn’t suffer from health or
psychological issues.
W A NTED
Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber
N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A
Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500
Consult
a
P rofessional
Associated Press
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Two
conservation groups have fi led
a lawsuit that seeks to stop
Washington state from killing
more wolves.
The lawsuit was fi led by
The Center for Biological
Diversity and Cascadia Wild-
lands in Thurston County
Superior Court.
It asserts that the Washing-
ton Department of Fish and
Wildlife’s killing of wolves
in two packs in the northeast-
ern part of the state relied on
a faulty protocol and failed to
undergo required environmen-
tal analysis.
According to the lawsuit,
Fish and Wildlife offi cials
adopted a revised “wolf-live-
stock interaction protocol” in
June for determining when to
kill wolves in response to live-
stock confl icts.
The lawsuit claims the pro-
tocol provided for the state to
kill wolves more quickly than
in prior years and was adopted
without public input or envi-
ronmental review, in violation
of the state’s Environmental
Policy and Administrative Pro-
cedure Acts.
“Reasonable minds can dif-
fer on when we should and
should not be killing wolves,
and whether the killing of the
wolves in these two packs was
justifi ed,” Nick Cady, legal
director for Cascadia Wildlands,
said in a news release. “But there
is no question that we should be
fully analyzing the effi cacy of
these actions, welcoming public
and scientifi c input, and be able
to hold the state accountable.”
Agency spokesman Bruce
Botka said offi cials haven’t
had the opportunity to review
the lawsuit and don’t have an
immediate response.
Offi cials have said previ-
ously that they authorize incre-
mental lethal control of wolves
in accordance with established
protocols after nonlethal pre-
vention techniques fail.
miles of levees. The depart-
ment also oversees sanitation
and recycling services and
maintains trails and streets.
City Manager Linda Eng-
bretson said she is in the
middle of looking over the
job description and talking
with staff about the qualities
they desire in the next public
works director.
The city is juggling mul-
tiple development projects
with its small staff and Eng-
bretson said it is important to
get someone in place soon.
But, she added, “I really want
to make sure I do this right.
… We want to make sure we
get the right person.”
Though Engbretson has
long been involved in the hir-
ing process during her time
with the city, this will be her
fi rst department head hire as
city manager.
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