HomeMy WebLinkAbout072424 email - FYI - Submitted Letter to PT LeaderALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Don Ehnebuske’s opinion piece suggested a community team effort to develop strategies to reduce the sulfur compounds in the Atlas pulp mill air releases. Odor control is a gap in the
Clean Air Act exploited by pulp mills, refineries, and sometimes public sewage treatment plants (not in PT where the city has made effective odor control investments). Since Atlas
has not demonstrated that they have enough capital to invest in 21st century pollution controls, their long-term commitment to the pulp mill is uncertain. Let’s have a planning committee
of city, county, and port leaders to plan for its future post-Atlas. Four steps that this group can take:
1. Monitor the sulfur stench plume location 24-7 so we can determine whether its impact is getting better or worse and hold Atlas to a 10% improvement each year.
2. Determine if there’s a tenable trade-off with Atlas that ties pulp mill pollution upgrades to plant expansion.
3. Conduct a design charrette to determine possible options for the site after Atlas leaves—low- cost housing, expansion of Fort Townsend park expansion, future port facilities.
4. Develop sources of funds for site clean-up post pulp mill, e.g. increasing property taxes to match the site’s worth, doubling water fees to account for years of under-charging,
including odor impacts in carbon emission fees, selling unused mill property to the town, port, or county.