By Teresa Purcell
In a complex world, we need to be able to think critically, ask questions and learn from research and best practices.
Sadly — and dangerously — our recent political discourse has discouraged rational decision-making in favor of emotional, biased conclusions that deny science.
As a Southwest Washington native, I have committed much of my life and work to protecting our land, air and water for future generations. I also understand that we must find the balance between perfect and progress. We have the opportunity to lead by making a distinction between projects that understand that climate change is real and those that do not.
Some folks are trying to lump the proposed methanol plant in Kalama with other fossil fuel projects like the Tesoro oil plant in Vancouver or the Millennium coal project in Longview. That is just not right.
We know we must create family-wage jobs in our area but we must not let perfect be the enemy of progress. Although we can’t end the use of fossil fuels today, that doesn’t mean we can’t — and shouldn’t strive to do better. The scientific evidence is clear, our dependence on traditional fossil fuels is damaging our planet, deteriorating our air quality and contributing to the catastrophic effects of climate change.
Our area has the opportunity to model what it means to get out of the “all or nothing” mentality of jobs and protecting the environment. Unlike Millennium’s proposed coal export terminal and the Tesoro oil terminal in Vancouver, which deny the existence of climate change and are not economically viable for the long-term due to changing markets, the proposed methanol plant in Kalama seeks to reduce coal consumption in China and is making significant environmental protection investments for our community.
Broad agreement among world leaders, reflected in the Paris accord, is that a positive step toward addressing climate change is moving away from coal toward natural gas; using new technologies designed to drastically reduce emission profiles; and taking a worldwide view of the challenges.
The methanol project provides the opportunity to balance the complex problem of creating jobs while making progress on protecting the planet for the long-term. The methanol plant is offering answers to problems that no other fossil fuel project even shows a willingness to acknowledge exist.
We should set a standard that will promote the creation of jobs in our community and supports innovation, while meeting standards and investing in environmental protection rather than becoming a dumping ground for outdated, economically risky, and damaging traditional fossil fuel projects
Our community has all of the assets we need to head boldly into the 21st century; we just need leaders who are willing to look toward the future and not the past.