| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2010 3:10 am |
||||||||||
 |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
Northwest 
|
||||||||||
Company suspected in spill has long record of environmental violations PORTLAND, Ore. — Last week, globs of black, powdery pollution spread across the Columbia River near Longview.The mile-long spill, first spotted Tuesday morning, turned out to be floating petroleum coke, an estimated 25-pounds worth, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. While the relatively small dump of industrial material likely didn’t directly harm fish or wildlife, its probable source is a company that has a long record of running afoul of rules protecting clean air and water. And an area environmental group says the spill shows a state agency needs to crack down on the company. The 416-acre Chinook Ventures port facility that spill investigators are focusing on is already the source of a lawsuit. A Cowlitz County community group recently formed to oppose its presence, and Washington state regulators have known for years it is flouting federal air and water protection rules. Now, this most recent spill has focused new attention on the Longview-based company and the agency responsible for policing its pollution, the Washington Department of Ecology. “The news of any spill on the Columbia is disturbing,” Hood River-based Columbia Riverkeeper wrote to Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire on Wednesday. “The facts that are coming together in this particular matter raise grave questions about Ecology’s enforcement of environmental laws and protection of the Columbia River.” In response to a request from The Oregonian, Chinook Ventures issued a statement this week saying the cause of the spill is still under investigation. “We are obviously very concerned with the matter and are working with the government agencies to determine the source of the release,” the statement said. The site the company now operates was for decades home to an aluminum smelting facility that ceased operations in 2003. Chinook Ventures is developing it as a commercial port, and has said it will clean up environmental damage on about 100 acres. While the company is operating under a permit intended for smelting operations, it’s already using the land to import and export petroleum coke, or petcoke, a carbon-rich byproduct of oil refining used for fuel. Washington state began asking the company four years ago to submit an application for the appropriate permit, and has repeated that request again and again. Then last year the state fined the company $150,000 for a litany of environmental impacts. “Ecology has received numerous complaints about Chinook Ventures, and combined with what we’ve seen, we’re deeply concerned,” Laurie Davies, the department’s manager for the program that oversees permitting for Chinook Ventures, said at the time. A bulleted list of Chinook’s air and water violations runs three pages. “Inspectors found Chinook storing waste materials outside without adequate pollution prevention controls, material being spilled during loading and unloading operations and being tracked throughout the site, and poor housekeeping on site and at the pier, all of which were potentially impacting stormwater runoff and water quality in the Columbia River,” the notice said. Following that fine, Chinook applied for the appropriate permit, and that application is being reviewed. In the meantime, operations at the site continue. “They are operating completely illegally, and Ecology is allowing them to do that,” said Brett VandenHeuvel, director of Columbia Riverkeeper, which filed the suit against Chinook last year. “And what happens when you do that is, you get spills,” VandenHeuvel said. “And you’re allowing them to undercut the other guys, those who are playing by the rules.” |
- Suspect arrested in Everett after chase that shut down I-5
- Man accused of shooting at police had allegedly bought drugs
- Boeing to add two 787s to flight test fleet
- Report on Granite Falls police chief fills 5 binders
- Coke closing its Marysville facility
- Lawsuit threatens tourist trains
- Lynnwood notifies more than 100 employees of possible layoffs
- Koster tops Rep. Larsen in U.S. House primary race
- Reardon joins call for burger joint
- Swedish/Edmonds is now official
- Man accused of shooting at police had allegedly bought drugs
(25) - More public housing smoking bans possible (20)
- Report on Granite Falls police chief fills 5 binders (14)
- Lynnwood notifies more than 100 employees of possible layoffs (14)
- Suspect arrested in Everett after chase that shut down I-5 (14)
- A Dick's Drive-In for south Snohomish County? (11)
- Judge rules against Trafton supporters (10)
- Mukilteo's red-light camera fight on radar of others (10)
- Income-tax initiative's math adds up (8)
- New temporary police chief named in Granite Falls (5)
- Prep football: Picks of the week
- Sixth Annual Puget Sound Bird Fest
- PTSD: The battle after the war
- Jackson relying on new faces
- Edmonds Center for the Arts announces new season
- Stevens Hospital District taxes to stay
- Mountlake Terrace seeks more success seeking more success
- Hootenanny hosts singer/songwriters
- Cascade Bank employees plan 3 Day of Caring events
- Northwest Software Technologies celebrates 25 years in business
- Marysville Tulalip chamber names new board members
- Smokey Point Walmart hiring center takes applicants
- Red Rooster Route farms celebrate Corn Festival
- 787 delayed again, until February
- Beleaguered small businesses hold the key to recovery
|
|
 
|
|
|
|
| TODAY'S TOP JOBS |
| View All Top Jobs |
| Top Cars |
|
| Top Homes |
|
|
ADVERTISEMENT |
|
|
|Contact Us
|Advertiser Services
|Home Delivery
|Newsstand Locations
|Classifieds
|Feedback
|About the Company
|Work@the Herald
|Site Map |
|
COMMENTS | Be the first to comment
Log in or register to post a new comment.
To read other terms and conditions, click here