Friday, March 19, 2010

Around the Sound: Comments flood in on the Rayonier Mill cleanup

Things have been busy since the comment period for the new cleanup agreement closed on March 5th. We received 34 comment letters containing over 200 separate comments! We heard from environmental groups, local governments, business organizations, and a number of concerned residents from Port Angeles, Sequim, and even Olympia.

What did people say?
The vast majority of letters included a comment on shortening the timeline in the Agreed Order. Many commenters asked Ecology to explain how it would enforce the Agreed Order, with specific questions about deadline extensions and dispute resolution. Many also touched on the issue of future land uses for the property and restoring Ennis Creek. A number of people were concerned about setting stringent cleanup levels and accounting for climate change and natural disasters in selecting an interim action remedy. Ecology was also asked to add more time for public involvement opportunities, address Rayonier landfill issues, and respond to a number of other questions.

What’s next?
After sorting through and categorizing the various comments and questions, we are now writing the Responsiveness Summary. This document compiles all of the comments and responds to both general concerns and several specific comments. I will send out an e-mail and a mailing to announce when the Responsiveness Summary is ready.


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