In the town of Kalama on the Columbia River in southwest Washington, there’s an environmental disaster in the making. Northwest Innovation Works (NWIW), a Chinese-backed company, proposes refining methanol from natural gas via pipeline extensions and water from the Columbia. The methanol would be shipped to China to make plastics.

If it happens, its voracious daily appetite for 320 million cubic feet of mostly fracked gas (about twice that of all commercial gas users in the state) will mean more fossil fuel extraction to satisfy those numbers. Right at a time when 97 percent of the world’s climate scientists are in full agreement that we need less fossil fuel extraction to help transition to a clean, renewable energy economy. Extracting more instead of less, coupled with the documented negative side-effects of fracked gas, just delays the transition. If you agree, call the State Legislative Hotline 800-562-6000 and ask Gov. Jay Inslee to stop the project.

Bill Adams

Des Moines