March 29, 2017 Dena Jensen
Last week Whatcom County Council voted 6-1, Council Member Brenner opposed, to approve the “ordinance imposing an interim moratorium on the acceptance and processing of applications and permits for new or expanded facilities in the Cherry Point Urban Growth Area, the primary purpose of which would be the shipment of unrefined fossil fuels not to be processed at Cherry Point.” I wanted to write this week to thank them for approving the moratorium. Continue reading
March 26, 2017 Sandy Robson
The Whatcom Tea Party is ostensibly defunct. A March 12, 2017, email newsletter sent by the Whatcom Tea Party’s “Town Crier,” to the group’s email mailing list subscribers, stated in part:
“It is with some regret, but also the knowledge that it was a great catalyst, that the Whatcom Tea Party closed its doors effective January 27, 2017, so that we can continue to move forward with our new projects. The tea party lives on, but with new names and new organizations.
Click the graphic to view Mr. Garey’s public testimony, which begins at around the 01:00:40 mark on the video (the linked graphic should take you to that location on the video) at the March 21, 2017 Whatcom County Council Meeting.
March 24, 2017 Dena Jensen
Here is a transcript of the public comment offered by retired refinery worker Steve Garey, at the March 21, 2017, Whatcom County Public Hearing on “imposing an interim moratorium on the acceptance and processing of applications and permits for new or expanded facilities in the Cherry Point urban growth area the primary purpose of which would be the shipment of unrefined fossil fuels not to be processed at Cherry Point.” The interim ordinance was approved by the Whatcom County Council on the evening of the hearing, by a vote of 6-1, Council Member Brenner opposed. Continue reading
This is a lengthy post, but I wanted to tell the complete story of my experience in calling Senator Ericksen’s office on March 17th, and March 20th. My story is below:
-March 17th
As a constituent, I contacted Senator Doug Ericksen’s office at about 12:00 noon on Friday, March 17th, to ask about an amendment I heard that Senator Ericksen had proposed to HB 1001, which was scheduled for a Senate Energy, Environment, and Telecommunications Committee meeting on March 21st. Continue reading
March 20, 2017 Dena Jensen
Please click the biggest photo “Cherry Point is a true heartbeat for our community,” to page through the slides at your leisure and in order! Share this slide show with friends who care about Cherry Point and with people you know who are members of the Whatcom Business Alliance and may not be aware of this information. Continue reading
You can view the full version of the Whatcom County Council’s September 14, 2017 Proposed Cherry Point Amendments by clicking the graphic above.
Saturday March 12, 2017 Dena Jensen
I am posting a letter that I sent on March 11, 2017 to BP’s Associate Director of NW Government and Public Affairs Pam Brady, who is on the Board of Directors of the Whatcom Business Alliance. The Whatcom Business Alliance (WBA) is increasingly promoting their campaign against elements of the Whatcom County Council Proposed Cherry Point Amendments to our County’s long-term planning document, the Comprehensive Plan. Continue reading
Click the above graphic to view the full report: “The Economic Benefits of Old-Growth Forests in the Pacific Northwest, An Overview” prepared for Earthjustice by ECONorthwest
I have heard this meme before… trees take up more water from the ground than a single family residence. That is not the issue. The issue is how that water is then used to help or hurt the environment. Continue reading
Mar 03, 2017 Dick Conoboy
With the appointment of Mike Estes to the seven member Bellingham Planning Commission at the last City Council meeting, and the pending appointment of Iris Maute-Gibson in April, the development industry lock on the membership is perceptibly lessened but not yet complete. Continue reading
Amy Glasser guest writes this article.
I have recently declared my intention to run for a seat on the Whatcom County Council. One of the issues motivating me is that 55% of Whatcom County’s budget is comprised of “Law and Order” dollars and there seems to be a continuing push by some county officials to build a “mega-jail” even though it has been rejected by citizen referendum. Continue reading
