‘Scoping’ period for proposed coal terminal draft EIS begins Friday

Clark County residents will have the opportunity to comment on the scope of an environmental impact statement for a proposed export terminal for shipping coal near Longview.

One of five public meetings will be held Oct. 9, from 5 to 8 p.m., at the Clark County Fairgrounds, 17402 N.E. Delfel Road, in Ridgefield. The meeting will include an open house with information on the proposed project, staff available to answer questions and opportunities to provide oral or written comments.

Millennium Bulk Terminals-Longview LLC is proposing to build and operate a terminal to export coal from the site of the former Reynolds Aluminum smelter in Cowlitz County.

One environmental impact statement will be produced for the proposed terminal project jointly by Cowlitz County, Washington Department of Ecology and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The document will follow the State Environmental Policy Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.

The 95-day comment period for the EIS scoping process begins Friday, Aug. 16 and runs through Nov. 18.

Through the scoping process, the three government agencies will decide what impacts to analyze in the EIS and identify issues and concerns.

Following the comment period, the lead agencies will issue a scoping summary and then begin work on a draft EIS, which could take a year or longer to prepare. After a draft EIS is released, additional public comment will be solicited prior to issuing a final EIS.

In addition to during the Oct. 9 hearing, public comments can be submitted at www.millenniumbulkeiswa.gov, by email to comments@millenniumbulkeiswa.gov or US mail to Millennium Bulk Terminals Longview EIS, c/o ICF International, 701 Second Ave., Ste. 550, Seattle, WA 98104.