NRDC and a coalition of local groups, represented by Earthjustice, filed an appeal today to stop the construction of the Pacific Northwest’s first industrial-scale wood pellet biomass production facility. Standing alongside Friends of Grays Harbor, Grays Harbor Audubon Society, Twin Harbors Waterkeeper, and Wild Orca, we aim to stop biomass from gaining a foothold in the region.
Pacific Northwest Renewable Energy’s (PNWRE) proposed plant would export 440,000 tons of wood pellets every year to Asia, where bioenergy has been deemed a “renewable.” The plant would sit at the port of Grays Harbor, near the Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge and the area’s schools, and be located only 100 miles from Olympic and Mount Rainier national parks.
PNWRE’s permit—issued by the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency on May 14, 2024—violates the Clean Air Act by vastly…