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U.S. NEWS Saturday 23 November 2019
Washington state deals setback to massive methanol plant

By GENE JOHNSON already been provided or
Associated Press was beyond what state law
SEATTLE (AP) — Washington required.
state dealt a setback Friday Ecology's decision Friday
to efforts to build one of the came about a week after
world's biggest methanol conservation and public
plants on the Columbia health groups, including
River, saying that five years Columbia Riverkeeper, the
in, its backers had failed to Sierra Club and Washing-
provide enough informa- ton Physicians for Social
tion about its greenhouse Responsibility, sued in U.S.
gas emissions and how District Court in Tacoma to
they would be offset. invalidate key federal per-
The $2 billion Northwest In- mits for the project.
novation Works project The groups said the U.S.
would take natural gas Army Corps of Engineers
from Canada and con- did not properly consider
vert it into methanol, which the huge amount of green-
would be shipped to China house gases the project
to make olefins — com- would emit — more than
pounds used in everything 1 million tons per year,
from fabrics and contact an amount that would
lenses to iPhones and med- increase Washington's
ical equipment. greenhouse gas emissions
Backers, including Cowlitz In this 2017 file photo, Mark Keely, of Kalama, Wash., stands with other protesters outside the by 1%.
County and the Port of Washington Department of Ecology's Vancouver field office in 2017. They also said federal re-
Kalama, said the proj- Associated Press views had failed to prop-
ect would reduce global ther review was necessary The company, which is eral counsel of Northwest erly consider the project's
greenhouse gas emissions "to determine the adequa- backed by the Chinese Innovation Works, said effects on threatened
by displacing China's use cy of the proposed mitiga- government, has noted earlier this week. "It will be salmon runs and on endan-
of coal to make methanol. tion for the Project." that it offered to mitigate that those materials will be gered orcas.
They provided regulators The review is expected to for all greenhouse gas produced in countries that Local officials have sup-
with a third-party analysis take about a year. emissions it generates in do not adhere to the envi- ported the project, noting
suggesting that over the "The company continues the state, and that it was in- ronmental and regulatory it would bring about 1,000
project's life it would re- to rely on this very dubious vesting in technology that standards that Washington construction jobs and 190
duce global emissions by claim that their methanol would eliminate all water state has." longer-term positions to the
at least 10 million metric is going to replace dirti- discharge from its facility Ecology requested addi- region.
tons per year. er methanol made from into the Columbia River. tional information about Washington Gov. Jay In-
They called that the single coal," said Brett Vanden- The company says that be- the emissions in its com- slee used to support it, say-
largest initiative in Washing- Heuvel, executive director cause producing metha- ments on a draft environ- ing it would help clean up
ton for reducing emissions of the conservation group nol from natural gas costs mental impact statement China's plastics industry.
— equivalent to removing Columbia Riverkeeper. about half what it costs to last year. The backers then He changed his mind last
more than 2 million cars "There's just no justification make from coal, it would filed a supplemental en- May amid his short-lived
from the road. for that. The Department of have a competitive ad- vironmental impact state- presidential run, which
But environmental groups Ecology is doing its job." vantage — as well as an ment in August. Ecology centered on combatting
said there was no evidence In emailed statements, environmental one — over again requested more in- climate change. He said
to support that statement Northwest Innovation Works Chinese methanol produc- formation in October and that because of the ur-
and that the project would said Friday it was disap- tion. gave supporters 30 days to gency of the threat from
create huge emissions of its pointed but "prepared for "If this doesn't get built, produce it. global warming, he could
own. In its decision Friday, the long haul" and ready to the result will not be less They responded on Nov. no longer support launch-
the Washington Depart- prove its project will reduce material produced in the 4, objecting that some of ing massive new fossil-fuel
ment of Ecology said fur- global emissions. world," Kent Caputo, gen- the information sought had infrastructure in the state.q
Students arrested for separate threats at 2 LA-area schools

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER high school in Santa Clar- multiple students over- out incident on suspicion has a serial number.
Associated Press ita, where a 16-year-old heard the 13-year-old say of making criminal threats. Villanueva praised school
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Depu- boy killed two fellow stu- Thursday that he would A 19-year-old male rela- officials for quickly notify-
ties arrested a 13-year-old dents and took his own life. carry out the shooting on tive also was arrested on ing authorities about the
boy and seized a semi-au- Since then, the Los Ange- campus the following day, suspicion of possessing an threat.
tomatic rifle after he threat- les County Sheriff's Depart- Sheriff Alex Villanueva said. unregistered firearm, Boese "The fact that people
ened to shoot other stu- ment has investigated at The students alerted teach- said. The man, who was stepped forward and said
dents and staff at a Los An- least 30 school threats, ers and police were noti- not identified, was held on what they had heard led
geles-area middle school, spokesman Sgt. Bob Boese fied. $35,000 bail, he said. us to prevent a tragedy to-
authorities said Friday. said. Deputies searched the Investigators were trying to day," he said.
In a separate case, a boy The incidents that resulted boy's home and discov- determine who owns the The other boy was arrested
at another school was tak- in the arrests were the only ered an AR-15-style rifle, gun that authorities initially Thursday in Palmdale, north
en into custody involving a ones deemed credible. 100 rounds of ammunition, called a ghost gun — a of Los Angeles. Villanueva
planned shooting. At Animo Mae Jemison a list of names and a draw- weapon without a serial said the student at Knight
The arrests came barely a Charter Middle School in ing of the school, Villanue- number made from parts High School made threats
week after deputies were Willowbrook, just south of va said. from other guns. Villanueva on social media following a
frantically summoned to a downtown Los Angeles, The boy was arrested with- later clarified the weapon campus fight.q