Whatcom Environmental Council

An independent environmental study of the AltaGas facility is long overdue

It's time for action on Cherry Point facility, environmental leaders say

In March, six environmental nongovernmental organizations — Friends of the San Juans, Whatcom Environmental Council, Evergreen Islands, Washington Conservation Action, Sierra Club, and RE Sources — secured an important victory for the Salish Sea and the communities surrounding the Ferndale Terminal at Cherry Point.

We represent three of those six groups that appealed a Whatcom County permitting decision authorizing a major expansion of the Ferndale liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) facility without an environmental impact statement.

After a three-day hearing, a Whatcom County hearing examiner sided with us. He found the county had erred in approving 33 project permits and sent the projects back for a new environmental analysis.

ALA Energy, a subsidiary of AltaGas, is now appealing the decision in Skagit County Superior Court. Since it’s now headed to court on appeal, the environmental groups are also seeking to revisit a narrow part of the ruling that restricts the geographic scope of the new study.

Read more:

Guest Writers: An independent environmental study of the AltaGas facility is long overdue | Cascadia Daily News It's time for action on Cherry Point facility, environmental leaders say

Leave a Comment for the Ranch Quarry Environmental Impacts by May 29th, 4:30 PM!
HOMEWhatcom encourages everyone to comment on the environmental issues raised by the Ranch Quarry on the side of Sumas Mountain. This 64 acre rock quarry would operate 6 days a week, 12 hours a day, with 50 to 100 one way truck trips per day for 100 years. The quarry would affect water, air quality, safety, scenic beauty, economy and the rural way of life for generations to come. Visit HOMEWhatcom.com for more information and the County site to leave a comment by 5/29/26 @ 4:30pm.

Thanks for all you do!

Leave a Comment here:
https://www.whatcomcounty.us/4197/Ranch-Quarry-Mine

AltaGas appeal asks Skagit judge to approve Cherry Point project permits.

Petrol company challenges Whatcom hearing examiner’s March decision.

By Isaac Stone Simonelli, Cascadia Daily News

A Canadian-based petrol company operating on Cherry Point is asking a Skagit County judge to overrule a recent decision that saw more than 30 project permits for its liquid petroleum gas (LPG) export terminal kicked back to Whatcom County for reevaluation.

AltaGas, aka ALA Energy, presented a slew of complaints about the Whatcom County hearing examiner’s findings in its 65-page appeal filed in Skagit County Superior Court on May 20. (The company did not indicate why it appealed in a neighboring jurisdiction.)

AltaGas appeal asks Skagit judge to approve Cherry Point project permits | Cascadia Daily News Petrol company challenges Whatcom hearing examiner’s March decision

Canadian Gas Company Appeals Denial of Expansion of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Terminal in Ferndale, Washington

Bellingham, WA — AltaGas, the gas company that unlawfully expanded a liquefied petroleum gas (“LPG”) terminal at Cherry Point in Ferndale, has filed an appeal of a decision by the Whatcom County Hearing Examiner rejecting a development permit for the facility’s expansion. The Hearing Examiner sided with six local environmental groups, represented by Earthjustice, and ordered the County to redo a flawed analysis of the impacts of the expansion.
The decision, issued in late March, was an important victory for the Salish Sea and communities surrounding the Ferndale terminal. The Examiner found that the County erred by relying on flawed studies and information submitted by AltaGas. The company’s information, accepted by the County, concluded that 31 unpermitted construction projects – carried out by the company during a moratorium on expansions — did not increase the terminal’s ability to handle more LPG. This led to the faulty conclusion that there were no environmental impacts, despite obvious safety and environmental risks posed by the expansion. The Hearing Examiner disagreed with the company and the County and ordered revised studies.

Instead of embarking on the new analysis, ALA Energy filed an appeal this week in Skagit County Superior Court. Since the decision is headed to court on appeal, the local environmental groups filed a narrow appeal of their own seeking to revisit a part of the ruling that restricts the geographic scope of the new study.

Over the next few months, both parties will submit their arguments to the court, followed by a hearing.

The groups represented by Earthjustice are Friends of the San Juans, Whatcom Environmental Council, Evergreen Islands, Washington Conservation Action, Sierra Club, and RE Sources.

Read More:

Canadian Gas Company Appeals Denial of Expansion of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Terminal in Ferndale, Washington AltaGas is asking Whatcom County Superior court to overturn a victory won by six local environmental groups requiring fair environmental review of the terminal’s expansion

For Those Who Fight
by Rick Eggerth, WEC board member

In the beginning, all we knew was abundance. Azure skies, with little taint of industry, freshened and stimulated our lungs and strengthened our bodies with every breath. Rivers and lakes, clean and pure, offered water that tasted like nectar of the Gods. Trees tickled the clouds and spread to a limitless horizon. And so many creatures lived along us, breathing the same air and drinking the same water, in beneficial coexistence. And our magnificent Pacific Northwest yielded salmon, the multitude of multitudes, that fed and nurtured soul and being and spirit and life for millennia, in ways we could not comprehend but that was more than sufficient for all those who accepted the natural system. And orca, our brethren people in the water, helped us comprehend how to live as Mother Earth intended.

Read the blog post here:
https://www.whatcomenvirocouncil.org/post/for-those-who-fight

Whatcom Environmental Council May 2026 Newsletter

May 2026 Newsletter Read our news and latest updates.

In this letter, six organizations (Friends of the San Juans, Whatcom Environmental Council, Evergreen Islands, Sierra Club, Washington Conservation Action, and RE Sources) are asking NWCAA to ensure that Trans Mountain does not circumvent careful regulatory review and adequate public engagement around Trans Mountain’s stated plans to expand throughput of the Trans Mountain Pipeline in Washington State at Laurel Station. We’re also requesting a public hearing. This Trans Mountain Pipeline application has significant public interest. Further, we want to ensure that NWCAA has conducted consultations with Tribes, as required by Washington State.

Laurel Station, located on the E. Smith Rd of Whatcom County, is a pump station that delivers Canadian tar sands crude to Washington state's four refineries. https://0164f939-9076-4107-a45a-1f71fe9db344.usrfiles.com/ugd/0164f9_02e2c44c775540fab074d5d3aca52fc2.pdf

Post Point Incinerators - A Better Path
April 27, 2026
by Rodd Pemble, WEC board president, and recently retired waste industry professional.

TO: Bellingham City Council and Mayor Kim Lund

In this letter we request, in the interest of public health and fiduciary responsibility, that the City of Bellingham should pause issuance of a $65M contract on our obsolete incinerators, and, instead, with state and local agency assistance promptly issue RFPs for design and installation of a system to load out sludge for temporary landfilling, and shut down incinerators while the City pursues a robust bid process for alternatives to incineration.https://0164f939-9076-4107-a45a-1f71fe9db344.usrfiles.com/ugd/0164f9_04fd2a1172b94a15936c77c9c214902e.pdf

Community Conversations with Whatcom County Councilmembers
The Community Conversation meeting series was initiated with the goal of providing additional opportunities for county residents to connect with local officials. Stop by and ask questions, learn what's happening in local government, and share ideas for improving Whatcom County!
Thursday, May 7 from 3:00 to 5:00pm., Fairhaven Library Fireplace Room, 1117 12th St, Bellingham, WA 98225 with Councilmembers Barry Buchanan, Kaylee Galloway, and Jon Scanlon.

For more info, see link in first comment

Please Attend the City Council Meeting on Monday

Friends of WEC, As you may know, I'm part of a coalition of groups and individuals trying (for years now) to convince Bellingham not to move forward with renovating and modernizing its polluting and dangerous sewage sludge incinerators system out... We would love to fill the Council chamber with people supporting the Campaign. A number of us, including yours truly, will be making coordinated public comments that will conclude with presentation of the petition, as well as provide education on the history of our efforts, the threats the incinerat...