Teck America, Inc. Enters Voluntary Cleanup Agreement For Black Sand Beach, Upper Columbia

"The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) and Teck American Inc. (Teck) in Spokane this week signed a detailed voluntary agreement to remove slag from a beach area on the Upper Columbia River known as Black Sand Beach. The slag, which has the appearance of black sand, is an industrial byproduct from a metals smelting facility operated by Teck Metals Ltd. (formerly Teck Cominco) in Trail B.C."

Upper Kittitas County Closed to New Groundwater Withdrawals

From Ecology

Emergency rule closes new groundwater withdrawals in upper Kittitas County YAKIMA – The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) will file an emergency rule that closes upper Kittitas County to all new groundwater withdrawals, the agency announced Thursday, July 16. After nearly two years of negotiations, Ecology was unable to gain a commitment from the Kittitas County Board of Commissioners that they were willing to move forward with a memorandum of agreement and alternative rule approach that would have limited the uncontrolled proliferation of so-called “exempt groundwater wells” in upper Kittitas County.

CELP Opposes Exempt Well Water for Feedlot in Franklin County

The Center for Environmental Law and Policy (CELP) recently filed a Petition for Declaratory Order, seeking to have the Department of Ecology find that the stock-watering exemption of RCW 90.44.050 does not apply to feedlot operations. The petition takes direct aim at a 2005 Attorney General opinion to the contrary.

Private Dams Without Permits

Shannon Dininny reports on a surprising number of private, nonpermitted dams in the state.

The Tri-City Herald Opines on the Hanford Lawsuit

The Herald, the go-to source for coverage of doings at Hanford, thinks the recently filed lawsuit is "premature".

Here is the State's 11/25/08 press release on the suit.

State Sues Feds Over Hanford Delays

The Tri-City Herald reports:

"The state of Washington will file a lawsuit Wednesday in U.S. District Court in an attempt to force the Department of Energy to meet new deadlines to empty radioactive waste from underground tanks and treat it."

Army Corps Changes Its Mind

Michael Milstein reports on the Army Corps' withdrawal of a permit for a commercial dock on the Columbia River after the Port of Arlington, Oregon, completes 70% of the the structure, because the site is a usual and accustomed fishing station of the Umatillas.

The corps decision is especially troubling to Port officials because the corps sold the land for the dock to the Port in 1967 as work on John Day Dam wound down. The corps specified at the time that part of the site be used as a public port, said Tim Weatherell, chairman of the Port Commission. The Port contends the original fishing site protected by treaty is now submerged by the water behind the dam, about 300 feet away from the dock site, where tribal members now fish. But the corps ruled that doesn't matter. "The fact that the present location of tribal fishing has shifted with the shoreline and is not precisely where fishing took place in 1855 does not negate its qualifications as a usual and accustomed fishing station," the corps wrote.