The Puyallup Tribal Council has rejected the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency’s preliminary determination to issue permits to the liquefied natural gas (LNG) proposal in Tacoma.
The agency completed the review of Puget Sound Energy’s Tacoma LNG application and made a preliminary determination that the proposal meets all the requirements of agency regulations and should be approved.
However, the statement by the Puyallup Tribal Council claims “the governmental reviews of this project have been badly flawed and have failed to engage the Tribe in consultation.”
The Council reiterated points it made after PSCAA issued its final supplemental environmental impact statement earlier this year, saying it does not address the absence of legally-required consultation with the Tribe, nor does it address the project’s safety risks.
The Puyallup Tribal Councill also claims the determination does not address any of the substantial changes made to the project after it was subjected to environmental review.
The Council goes on to say that the preliminary determination “wrongly assumes that the project would not be harmful, based on outdated assumptions and flawed methodology—errors that were clearly pointed out during the public comment period of PSCAA’s Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.”
It also called for the public to attend the scheduled PSCAA’s public hearing in Tacoma on August 27.
To remind, the project proposed by PSE would provide LNG for natural gas customers and maritime transportation needs, including fueling TOTE Maritime Alaska vessels.