Earth Ministry’s Program and Outreach Director Jessica Zimmerle was quoted in the Tacoma News Tribune coverage of the August 27th hearing on Tacoma LNG.

LNG foes protest ‘affront to human rights,’ backers see ‘right direction’ at latest hearing

By Debbie Cockrell
AUGUST 27, 2019 05:41 PM, UPDATED AUGUST 29, 2019 05:46 PM

Compared with October’s LNG hearing, this one was a little more heated, and not just outside the venue.

Those opposed, and, to a smaller extent, in favor of Puget Sound Energy’s liquefied natural gas facility on the Tacoma Tideflats spent a warm, sunny afternoon inside the Rialto Theater.

The two sides were gathered for Tuesday’s hearing held by Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. The agency is considering an approval order for the LNG project’s facility construction permit.

In October, it held a similar hearing in two sessions to consider input on the draft supplemental environmental impact statement and released the final report in March.

The agency in July said it had completed a review of the project’s Notice of Construction Application and had made “a preliminary determination that the proposal meets all the requirements of Agency Regulations I, II and III and should be approved.”

Roughly 400 people showed up at the theater for the first of two sessions Tuesday to weigh in on that decision.

Most were there to voice opposition, showing up early to march and rally downtown.

Jessica Zimmerle, program and outreach director of Earth Ministry/Washington Interfaith Power & Light, told The News Tribune before the hearing that the faith communities she works with sees this as a moral issue.

“We believe everybody deserves clean air, clean water and safe communities. This facility is an affront to all those human rights,” Zimmerle said.

To read the article from the Tacoma News Tribune click here.