Grays Harbor area leaders from the Quinault Indian Nation, Friends of Grays Harbor, Grays Harbor Audubon, Citizens for a Clean Harbor, Sierra Club, and Coalition of Coastal Fisheries – as well as the entire Stand Up to Oil movement – are celebrating a victory in protecting our shared waters and shared future today. The Washington Supreme Court breathed life into the Ocean Resources Management Act (ORMA), a state law that protects coastal ocean resources, and ruled that the law’s strict permitting requirements apply to crude oil shipping terminals. The ruling will effectively block a proposed crude-by-rail terminal in Hoquiam.
Today’s ruling is a win for communities across the Northwest that have been fighting for their health, safety, and right to a voice in decisions that affect their future. Even as the incoming federal administration vows to prioritize oil and fossil fuel development, Northwest communities and leaders are charting a future that invests in clean energy and puts the health and safety of our families and our shared waters first.
The Supreme Court’s decision comes just over a week after Commissioner of Public Lands, Peter Goldmark, denied a lease for the proposed Millennium Bulk coal terminal in Longview, Washington.
Contact: Rebecca Ponzio, rebecca@wecprotects.org, 206.240.0493