Tacoma, Wash.– A broad coalition of organizations representing indigenous communities, people of faith, immigrants’ rights advocates, and communities of color have come together to call attention to the safety risks associated with Puget Sound Energy’s eight million gallon liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility on the Tacoma Tideflats.
The LNG project’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) suggests that there are official hazard mitigation efforts and an emergency response plan for Tacoma, however, none of this information has been made readily available to the public.
In the event of an accident, the potential hazard zone of the LNG facility could include the Northwest Detention Center.
“People of faith and human rights advocates are united in their concern for the safety of individuals detained in the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) in the event of an emergency at the LNG plant,” said LeeAnne Beres, Executive Director of Earth Ministry/Washington Interfaith Power & Light. “Our organizations see this as a moral issue of intersectional justice and stand with the Puyallup Tribe in asking that the City of Tacoma complete a supplemental EIS on the safety risks of this dangerous fossil fuel project.”
Puyallup Tribe of Indians Councilmember Annette Bryan spoke to the mounting support saying, “the residents of NWDC, Earth Ministry/WAIPL and all sign-on organizations have the full support of the Puyallup Tribe. People’s lives are on the line here and as community leaders, it is our responsibility to speak out against the potential human rights violations produced by the dangers of the LNG facility. Once again, we call on the City of Tacoma to conduct the necessary SEIS to protect the people of Tacoma, paying close and deliberate attention to the safety of those who live, or are detained in, the hazard zone of the LNG plant.”
# # #
Contact:
Jessica 916-230-9405
jessica@earthministry.org
Click here to read the full letter to the City of Tacoma signed by 18 local, regional, and statewide organizations.
