The world’s largest fracked-gas-to-methanol refinery is proposed to be built along the Columbia River in Kalama, Washington. Northwest Innovation Works (NWIW) wants to build this facility to turn fracked gas into methanol to be used to manufacture plastics. More fossil fuels for more plastics is not the future we need.
The project’s original environmental impact statement (EIS) in 2017 was appealed because it omitted significant climate impacts. The resulting supplemental EIS (SEIS) was also deemed inadequate. The Department of Ecology then took over the process to conduct a second SEIS looking at upstream and lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions – from fracking to transport, refining, and manufacturing.
In September 2020, the draft of the second supplemental EIS was released. The report shows that this facility would be one of our state’s most significant sources of climate pollution. The refinery would use a staggering amount of fracked gas – nearly 5% of our state’s total emissions, which is more than all of Washington’s gas-fired power plants combined. Not only that, it would promote fracking in other US states and ultimately cause more methanol to be burned as fuel in China. The SEIS clearly shows that this project is dirty, dangerous, and unwise.
Unfortunately, the SEIS also relies on speculative mitigation measures and unenforceable market analysis to prop up this dirty, climate-wrecking proposal. Their inadequate justification is that methanol made in Kalama could replace methanol made elsewhere that may have higher carbon emissions. Instead of comparing the project to clean energy alternatives, they assume that the only other options are more dirty fossil fuels. Read more here from Power Past Fracked Gas, of which Earth Ministry is a member organization.
If built, this plant will lock our state into decades of additional climate pollution, even though we know it is past time to pursue a truly low-carbon future. Join Earth Ministry/WAIPL in speaking up against this polluting project.
Update:
The draft of the second Supplemental EIS for this project was open for public comment Sept-Oct, 2020. Earth Ministry mobilized the faith community and over 150 people in our network asked the Department of Ecology to reject this project by denying its project’s Shorelines Permit. We now await their decision and will keep you informed.
Faith-based Talking Points:
- Climate pollution is immoral
- We are called to be good stewards of creation and to work for climate justice
- Focus on known climate pollution rather than speculative market-based analysis
- Extended and more intense wildfire seasons are a sign of climate change
- Fracking is a human rights issue
- Care for our neighbors
- We need prophetic leaders with a vision of a clean energy future, not status quo
- SEIS analyzes false choices among bad options of coal, oil, gas
- Break assumption of continued dependence on fossil fuels
- Investing in dirty fossil fuels is not in alignment with our state’s values
- Stay true to Washington’s clean energy and climate goals
- Currently Season of Creation and Jewish High Holidays
- A time for introspection about our relationship with creation and one another