Public comment period opens for proposed Port Westward refinery

The following is a guest editorial put together by the Clatskanie Farmer Collective:

A proposed industrial development along the Columbia River near Clatskanie has entered a key stage of federal review, with a public comment period now open through April 20.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed NEXT Renewable Fuels refinery at Port Westward. The document evaluates the potential environmental, economic and community impacts of constructing and operating the facility, and public input submitted during this period will be considered as part of the federal permitting process.

The proposed refinery would be one of the largest of its kind in the United States, with the capacity to produce up to 50,000 barrels of fuel per day. The project includes pipelines, storage tanks, rail facilities, marine shipping connections and natural gas–fired refinery systems. The DEIS also anticipates increased rail traffic associated with the facility, including an average of more than 300 railcars per week, which would move through existing rail corridors in the region.

Project proponents have identified potential economic benefits, including job creation during construction and operations and increased local tax revenues associated with expanded industrial development at Port Westward. At the same time, the DEIS outlines a range of potential impacts to the surrounding landscape and water systems.

According to the document, construction of the facility would require the permanent filling of more than 100 acres of wetlands and waterways. To offset these impacts, the project proposes converting nearly 500 acres of existing agricultural land into wetlands as mitigation, all within the Beaver Drainage District. The Beaver Drainage District is a system of levees, pumps and canals that protects roughly 6,000 acres of high-value agricultural land in the Columbia River floodplain. The system functions as a single interconnected network, meaning changes to drainage or groundwater conditions in one location can influence farmland conditions across the broader district.

Because wetlands are designed to retain water while drainage systems are engineered to remove water to keep farmland productive, the DEIS identifies potential changes to hydrology within this system as an important consideration. The project site is also located within a managed floodplain where the levee system is not currently accredited by the Federal Emergency Management Agency or certified by the Army Corps of Engineers as meeting federal flood protection standards due to documented seepage and subsidence concerns. Portions of the proposal require additional federal review to determine whether construction could affect the safety or function of existing flood control infrastructure.

The DEIS further identifies the area as having high liquefaction hazard and proximity to a geologic fault zone, meaning soils may be susceptible to instability during seismic events. In addition, the document describes stormwater systems that would discharge treated runoff into nearby waterways connected to the Beaver Drainage District and the Columbia River, raising questions about how water quality and movement could be affected across interconnected systems, particularly in relation to industrial pollutants and fuel-related materials within a floodplain environment.

The DEIS also evaluates air emissions associated with the proposed refinery, including greenhouse gases and other pollutants typical of large-scale fuel processing facilities. These emissions are considered in the analysis of regional air quality and potential effects on human health and agricultural production.

The Columbia River itself plays a central role in the regional economy, supporting commercial, tribal and recreational fisheries. Species such as salmon, sturgeon are important to many local residents for both livelihood and recreation.

Nearby sloughs and waterways connected to the river have also been the focus of long-term public and tribal investment in salmon habitat restoration, further linking the project area to broader regional ecological systems. The proposal highlights ongoing questions for the region about how industrial development, agriculture and natural resource systems coexist within a shared landscape, particularly in areas where land use, water management and infrastructure are closely interconnected.

The release of the DEIS marks one of the most significant opportunities for public input in the federal review process. The Army Corps is required to consider environmental, economic and community impacts, and public comments become part of the official record used to inform final decisions.

Anyone may submit a comment, and submissions do not need to be technical. Even brief statements based on personal or professional experience can be included in the review. Two virtual public hearings are scheduled for Wednesday, April 1 from 1 to 3 p.m. and Thursday, April 2 from 6 to 8 p.m. Written comments may be submitted by email to nexteis@usace.army.mil. Commenters are asked to reference Project NWP-2020-383.

The full Draft Environmental Impact Statement is available through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website. A collection of local summaries, comment guides, and technical materials related to the review is also available at clatskaniefarmercollective.org/portwestwardreview.