If three proposed refineries gets clearance to be built along the Columbia river and Puget Sound. A China-backed consortium, Northwest Innovation Works, has proposed two plants in Washington state and a third in Oregon to convert natural gas to methanol, which would be shipped to China to make plastics and other consumer goods.
But those plans are running into opposition. On Friday, the company temporarily put its project in Tacoma on hold, saying it has been "surprised by the tone and substance of vocal opposition." Methanol over here is likely to be produced from natural gas. In the U.S. Northwest, the largest of three refineries will be built on the site of a former aluminum smelter in Tacoma. Other plants are proposed for Kalama in southwest Washington state, and at Port Westward in Oregon, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Portland.
The Kalama project is the furthest along in its environmental review. A draft is expected next month, and construction could begin by early 2017.
