Graduate of Mark Morris High School and the University of Washington, Longview native Teresa Purcell has committed much of her life and work to protecting our land, air and water. After a narrow loss in her 2016 bid for a 19 th District state House of Representatives seat, Teresa returned to her small public affairs company to continue representing social justice and non - profit organizations.
She remains a community activist and is the founder of the Working Democracy Project of SWWA. Purcell, who supports Northwest Innovation Works’ (NWIW) methanol plant in Kalama, draws a careful distinction between the NWIW project and the proposed coal - export terminal and oil terminal in Vancouver – both of which she opposes.
“When I look at the methanol plant in Kalama, I see an actionable, measurable attempt to support something that acknowledges one of the biggest challenges facing our planet, while at the same time addressing the need for family - wage jobs in our community.”
She encourages community members to make scientifically - informed decisions above all else when assessing the project aiming to generate family - wage jobs in the area.
“We must also not let the perfect be the enemy of progress,” she says. “Although we can’t hit the ‘flip switch’ on fossil fuels today, that doesn’t mean we can’t – and shouldn’t – be striving to do better. The scientific evidence is clear: our dependence on fossil fuels is costing our planet, deteriorating our air quality and contributing significantly to the catastrophic effects of climate change.”
She cites the broad agreement among world leaders, as evidenced by the Paris accord, that a positive step toward addressing climate change is moving away from coal towards natural gas; using new technologies designed to drastically reduce emission profiles; and taking a worldwide view of the challenges.
Teresa believes NWIW’s project could achieve those aims, while attracting the family - wage jobs needed to sustain the city into the future .
