For five years, SW Washington community members organized strong opposition to the world’s largest fracked gas-to-methanol refinery.
Meet the No Methanol Monday Crew from Kalama, WA
For over five years, activists in SW Washington have taken a stand against a proposal for the world’s largest fracked gas-to-methanol refinery. Proposed in Kalama, Washington, the refinery would use a staggering quantity of fracked gas. If built, it would quickly become one of Washington’s largest sources of climate-changing pollution.
We wanted to acknowledge the tremendous effort that the Kalama team and allies from all over the region put forward in the past several weeks. Each Monday, on “No Methanol Mondays,” a team from Kalama and other communities in SW Washington have traveled to Lacey, Washington, to encourage the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) to deny a key Shoreline Permit for the proposed refinery. Meanwhile, their friends and allies have submitted thousands of email comments and made hundreds of phone calls in opposition to the mega-refinery proposal. The commitment of these volunteer activists, who have spent hundreds of hours researching, writing, and taking creative action to oppose the methanol refinery, has been a critical factor in staving off the massive Kalama refinery proposal.
On October 9, 2019, Ecology took action on the refinery. Rather than approving or denying the project, Ecology instead decided to ask for additional information about the refinery’s purpose and impact. We are encouraged that Ecology is asking tough questions about the climate and environmental impacts of the proposed world’s largest gas-to-methanol refinery. But Ecology’s action also means that our work is not finished.
“Asking tough questions is a good step,” said Linda Leonard, a Kalama resident and No Methanol Monday stalwart. “But we aren’t going to rest until Washington nixes this climate disaster. The future of our community depends on it.”
We agree with Linda! Here are two ways we can support the Kalama team and allies around the region:
- Sign the petition supporting Ecology’s recent action, and urging the agency to go further and to deny the refinery.
- Call the Department of Ecology at 360-407-6969, and let them know that you support the agency’s decision to ask for more information. Also let them know that you are counting on Ecology to deny the refinery when NWIW fails to address the state’s concerns.
