Kalama Manufacturing & Marine Export Facility SEPA
This site provides information about the environmental review of the Kalama Manufacturing & Marine Export Facility project under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) by the Port of Kalama and Cowlitz County as co-lead agencies. The Port is the nominal lead agency, responsible for complying with the duties of the SEPA lead agency. The County has assisted the Port in compiling and assessing information on all environmental aspects of the proposal.
Current project status:
The Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement has been issued and is available for viewing and downloading in the Project Library. On Nov 22, 2019, the Washington State Department of Ecology decided to prepare an additional environmental document. More information is available on Ecology’s website.
About the Project
Kalama Manufacturing & Marine Export Facility
NW Innovation Works is proposing to construct and operate a methanol production plant in an industrial park owned by the Port of Kalama. The plant would manufacture methanol from natural gas. Natural gas will be delivered to the methanol plant by a new lateral distribution pipeline to be constructed by Northwest Pipeline GP. As part of the same development, the Port is proposing a new deep draft marine terminal facility to load methanol onto ships.
What is SEPA?
SEPA stands for the State Environmental Policy Act. The SEPA review process provides a way to identify possible environmental impacts that may result from construction and operation of a proposed project. Information gathered during the review process helps agency decision-makers and the public understand how a proposal will affect the environment. The information can be used to change a proposal, to reduce likely impacts, or to condition or deny a proposal when adverse environmental impacts are identified. Public and agency input is an important part of the SEPA process.
Under state law, state and local agencies are required by SEPA to consider the likely environmental consequences of a proposed project before acting on any permits or approvals requested to construct and operate the project. Learn more about SEPA from the Washington State Department of Ecology.
Preparation of the SEIS
An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is an evaluation and analysis of alternatives that describes potential environmental impacts and measures to reduce or eliminate those impacts.
The Supplemental EIS supplements the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) published by the co-lead agencies on September 30, 2016 with additional analysis and consideration of mitigation for Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions attributable to the project.
The Supplemental EIS also identifies any substantial changes to project design and engineering since publication of the FEIS and will evaluate whether these changes would affect any analysis or conclusions set forth in the FEIS.
Previously prepared Draft Supplemental EIS, Draft EIS and Final EIS documents are available in the project library.
The Supplemental EIS includes a GHG life cycle analysis covering the following sources of GHG emissions:
- GHG emissions attributable to construction of the project;
- Onsite direct GHG emissions from the project;
- GHG emissions from purchased power, including consideration of the potential sources of generation that would satisfy the new load;
- GHG emissions potentially attributable to the project from natural gas production, collection, processing and transmission;
- GHG emissions from the shipping of methanol product to a representative Asian port; and
- GHG emissions associated with changes in the methanol industry and related markets that may be induced by the project’s methanol production.
Project Library
General Information
- Northwest Innovation Works
- Northwest Pipeline GP
- Port of Kalama
- Cowlitz County
- Washington Department of Ecology SEPA Information
Final EIS
- FEIS Notice of Availability (September 2016)
- ALL CHAPTERS
- Cover, Fact Sheet, Table of Contents
- Chapter 1 Summary
- Chapter 2 Proposed Project and Alternatives
- Chapter 3 Earth
- Chapter 4 Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Chapter 5 Water Resources
- Chapter 6 Plants and Animals
- Chapter 7 Energy and Natural Resources
- Chapter 8 Environmental Health and Safety
- Chapter 9 Land Use, Shoreline Use, Housing and Employment
- Chapter 10 Aesthetics and Visual Resources
- Chapter 11 Historic and Cultural Resources
- Chapter 12 Transportation
- Chapter 13 Public Services and Utilities
- Chapter 14 Noise
- Chapter 15 Cumulative Impacts
- Chapter 16 Comments
- Chapter 17 Responses to Comments
- Chapter 18 Distribution List
- ALL APPENDICES
- Appendix A NPDES Engineering Report and Application
- Appendix B FERC Kalama Lateral Project Environmental Assessment
- Appendix C1 Geotechnical Report
- Appendix C2 Preliminary Geotechnical Evaluation
- Appendix D Air Quality Analysis Technical Report (Revised)
- Appendix E Biological Assessment
- Appendix F Cowlitz County Public Utility District Letter
- Appendix G2 Safety and Health Aspects Report
- Appendix G3 Spill Modeling Report
- Appendix G4 Acutech Response to Comments
- Appendix H1 Critical Areas Report
- Appendix H2 Shoreline Narrative
- Appendix I Visual Resources – Photograph Inventory Sheets
- Appendix J Cultural Resources Survey
- Appendix K Transportation Impact Analysis Report
- Appendix L City of Kalama Public Works Water Supply Letter
- Appendix M Economic Impact Analysis Report
- Appendix N ZLD Description Technical Memo (New)
Draft EIS
Supplemental EIS
Final Supplemental EIS
- FSEIS Notice of Availability (August 2019)
- Final Supplemental EIS (August 2019)
- Appendix A: Supplemental GHG Analysis
- Appendix B: Supplemental Technical Analysis for Response to DSEIS Comments
- Appendix C: NWIW Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Program Framework
- Appendix D. Section1: Agency and Tribal Government Comments
- Appendix D. Section 2: Non-governmental Organization Comments
- Appendix D. Section 3, Part 1: Citizen Comments
- Appendix D. Section 3, Part 2: Citizen Comments
- Appendix D. Section 4: Public Hearing Transcript
- Appendix D. Section 5: Petitions
- Appendix E: Dock Use Agreement