Kalama, WA – Today the United States Western District of Washington issued an order in a federal lawsuit regarding Northwest Innovation Works’ (NWIW) Kalama project. The Court ruled on motions brought by the United States Army Corp of Engineers, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Port of Kalama as well as Columbia Riverkeeper, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Washington Environmental Council, and Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility.
“We are currently reviewing the Court’s order,” said Kent Caputo, General Counsel for NWIW. “It appears the Corps will have additional legal or regulatory process to go through before finalizing issuance of certain federal permits. Importantly, however, no issues regarding matters under the Endangered Species Act were found.”
“The Washington State Department of Ecology is also finalizing the Second Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement on the Kalama project. That study takes an unprecedented and expansive look at the greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts here in Washington State and globally, and it estimates that NWIW’s Kalama facility will result in a global net reduction of over six million tonnes of GHGs every year. We expect that work to be completed shortly, and it will stand as a rigorous, comprehensive, independent analysis that will inform any additional efforts ultimately performed by the Corps.”
“We’ve been at this now for almost seven years, and the ongoing support of the Kalama community and the labor community means so much to us,” said Vee Godley, Chief Development Officer for NWIW. “Our project creates family wage jobs during a time when our economy in SW Washington really needs them. It also creates new tax revenue so our local and state government can provide critical services. We think this is a project that deserves to go forward on the merits. To the extent more process is found to be appropriate and necessary to robustly inform regulators and the public, we will participate fully and see this process through.”
