Washington State extends public comments on Westway, Imperium proposals

The Washington Department of Ecology has extended the comment periods on the Westway and Imperium draft environmental impact statements (EIS) to November 30 due to requests from tribal governments, local organizations and elected officials.

The announcement was made Monday.

The Westway and Imperium proposals seek to expand facilities at the Port of Grays Harbor to store more bulk liquid. The proposals will allow for the transportation of crude oil by rail and its storage at the site before being transferred to shipment vessels.

The Department of Ecology and the City of Hoquiam are co-lead agencies in the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review process for the proposals and have approved the extended comment period. The comment period was originally scheduled to end October 29.

The EISs have already had an extended 60-day comment period, rather than the standard 45-days, after being issued on August 31. While the projects are separate, they were evaluated together, and the draft studies will be finalized after the comment period closes and Hoquiam and the Department of Ecology have had time to review public input.