91ÊÓƵ

Cowlitz County’s board of commissioners today approved a shoreline development permit for a coal export facility near Longview, Wash.

Millennium Bulk Logistics, a subsidiary of Australian company Ambre Energy, plans to construct an export terminal that will send 5.7 million tons of coal annually from Wyoming and Montana to Asia. The approval of the shoreline permit means the company could start construction soon. But Millennium anticipates the decision will be appealed by environmental groups, who have expressed concern about the project.

“Our next steps depend on different things,” said Joe Cannon, CEO of Millennium. “Some environmental groups may appeal, which will mean a longer period of time until we can begin construction. There’s a window between October and January where you can do work in the (Columbia) River, if you miss that, you have to wait.”

County Commission Chair George Raiter said the commission has received many emails in the past week from residents with concerns about burning coal for energy in China and the role their area would play in the process. But concerns about burning coal, Raiter said, should have been brought up during the state’s Environmental Policy Act process, which analyzes the environmental impacts of Washington state projects.

“It’s disappointing that this enthusiasm didn’t come at the proper time,” Raiter said. “All of the issues concerning the environmental impact of coal were covered in the (State Environmental Policy Act) process. SEPA doesn’t allow us to consider environmental impacts outside the country.”

The export facility has already received a determination of non-significance from the state Department of Ecology, Raiter said, which means the state found no major environmental threats that cannot be mitigated by Millennium. Millennium plans to clean up the site, a former aluminum smelting facility, as well as use coal dust suppression technology to keep the dust from the facility from effecting nearby communities, Cannon said.

Though a general contractor has not been selected, Cannon anticipates construction of the 525,000-square-foot export facility to employ 120 construction workers. The completed facility will also employ 70 people. Construction is expected to take two to three years, depending on the appeals process, Cannon said.