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09/15/2009: "Comment On “Haze� From Cherry Point"

Visibility-limiting pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and other fine particles are said to cause a haze from six Washington industrial plants, one of which is the BP Cherry Point Refinery in Whatcom County.

The public is invited to comment on proposed limits for emissions from the six industrial plants that are blamed for causing -or contribute- to visibility-limiting haze in national parks and wilderness areas.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has directed states to work to reduce regional haze in national parks and wilderness areas in coming decades. As part of this effort, EPA requires certain industrial plants to install Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART) if they emit air pollutants that cause or contribute to regional haze.


The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) worked with the plants’ owners to propose emission limits to meet BART requirements. Ecology will accept comments on the proposed limits from Sept. 15 through Nov. 6. A public hearing is scheduled at 6 p.m. Oct. 27 at Ecology headquarters, 300 Desmond Drive SE, Lacey.

After the hearing, Ecology will issue compliance orders to the plants and submit the limits to EPA for review. Once limits are approved, the plants must implement them within five years.

The six affected facilities are:

• The BP Cherry Point Refinery in Whatcom County.

• The Alcoa Intalco Works aluminum smelter in Whatcom County.

• The Tesoro refinery in Skagit County.

• The Lafarge cement plant in Seattle.

• The Port Townsend Paper Corp. mill.

• The Weyerhaeuser Corp. paper mill in Longview.

You may review the proposed BART decisions and related documents at:

• Ecology’s headquarters, 300 Desmond Drive SE, Lacey; for an appointment, contact Stephanie Abraham at 360-407-6326.

• Starting Wednesday, Sept. 16, online at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/globalwarm_RegHaze/bart/bartinformation.html.

Copies of specific documents also may be reviewed at these locations:

• BP Cherry Point Refinery and Alcoa Intalco Works â€" Bellingham Public Library, 210 Central Ave.