WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. – Whatcom County officials are in a quandary after a Cherry Point petroleum industry may have expanded its facility without the proper permits.
The Bellingham Herald reports that Petrogas West asked the county for permission to upgrade two aging compressors five years ago.
It filed an environmental review that promised the work wouldn’t cause increased rail traffic or future additions.
But the Northwest Clean Air Agency says inconsistencies in reports from the company prompted an investigation that found rail traffic had quadrupled after the work was done.
The agency also estimates that the company had under reported its volatile emissions by hundreds of tons per year.
County Councilmember Todd Donovan says the issue raises concerns over industry policing itself, which is fundamental to an agreement reached between industry, the county and watchdogs last year.
He says the county is also in “uncharted territory” about how to respond to the company’s possible unpermitted expansion.