A Win for Clean Air: Drax’s Polluting Wood Pellet Facility on Pause
By: Juan Monje, Community Organizer
Good news alert! After sustained community advocacy, Drax Group has announced it is pausing plans to expand wood pellet production capacity. This decision places the proposed large-scale pellet facility in the Columbia River community of Longview, Washington on hold.
This pause reflects the strength of Columbia River communities coming together to protect our shared home.
Community Voices Made the Difference
In Southwest Washington, community members raised concerns about air quality, forest impacts, truck and rail traffic, and the long-term climate consequences of the industrial biomass development proposed by Drax.
Through community meetings and public comment forums, neighbors spoke from lived experience in towns shaped by rail lines and ports, as families already experiencing the impacts of industrial pollution, and as people who depend on healthy forests and rivers for their livelihoods and cultures. Their voices were heard.
Why This Pause Matters
Drax’s industrial burning of wood pellets for energy is not clean or sustainable. Drax has a history of violating environmental laws and misleading regulators. They’ve been fined millions of dollars in other countries for polluting and hiding the real impact of their operations, which create dangerous air pollution and worsen climate change. Bringing Drax to Longview would have meant more truck traffic, more industrial emissions, and more harm to a place that’s already dealing with pollution from other industries. Longview, like many working-class communities, has been treated as a dumping ground for too long.
Pausing this expansion means:
- Reduced immediate risk to air quality in nearby communities.
- Fewer industrial impacts along the Columbia River.
- Less pressure on Northwest forests.
- Time for continued public engagement and accountability.
This decision shows that frontline communities can slow harmful projects and demand better outcomes.
What Comes Next
Drax has indicated it may explore other uses for the site, including a data center. Any future proposal must be transparent, carefully evaluated, and shaped by meaningful community input. Together with local residents and community partners, we will be watching.
Moving Forward Together
This pause is a moment worth recognizing not as an endpoint, but as proof that community advocacy works.
We thank everyone across Southwest Washington and the region who showed up, asked questions, shared concerns, and stood up for the places we all rely on. Together, we will continue the work to protect our climate and our river communities, and to shape the clean energy future of our region.
