Millennium Appeal Pt 1

Millennium Appeal Pt 1

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
I'm Bob Larson. Millennium Bulk Terminal is firing back after the state Department of Ecology denied its water quality permit for the proposed port expansion in Longview.

Millennium has filed an appeal with the Pollution Control Hearings Board and promises to take it further if need be.

Washington Farm Bureau CEO, John Stuhlmiller says the reasons behind Ecology's rejection appear questionable and politically motivated ...

JOHN STUHLMILLER ... "The impact is, a facility to ship goods. That's what we're talking about. It is not what is being shipped, but we keep losing sight of that. And again, 44-million metric, 50 football fields wide, you know, eight stories tall, coal if you can believe that, and it's alarmist and it is not fact-based."

Stuhlmiller says Millennium has no choice but to appeal if Ecology wants to change the rules for a water-quality permit mid-game ...

JOHN STUHLMILLER ... "The rules are water quality impacts and including wetlands and so that's been added in so everybody knew that, but now we're talking transits on the ocean, we talking trains moving outside of the project area, you know, all of those things. So, now you've taken what a water quality modification permit should be, the 401 Cert., and you made it much bigger. And so, how can you as a business possibly plan and develop projects that would meet it when the rules change while you're doing it."

In the appeal filed October 24th, Millennium claims The Department of Ecology is denying the company fair process that it is constitutionally guaranteed.

Listen tomorrow for more on the Farm Bureau's support for the terminal expansion.

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