From Stark
Whatcom County Council member Carl Weimer has asked the county’s Planning and Development Services director, Sam Ryan, to clarify what’s going on at SSA’ Marine’s Gateway Pacific Terminal property at Cherry Point.
Weimer sent Ryan a letter full of pointed questions, which he has shared on his blog.
SSA Marine is in the early stages of a lengthy public process involved in getting a fistful of local, state and federal permits for construction of a massive new shipping facility to handle trainloads of coal and other bulk cargoes.
Late last week, Weimer called attention to what he estimates to be about 2.5 miles of roads graded through forested areas that he says are at least partly on wetlands. Weimer discovered the work while walking his dog in the area. Now he wants to know if this work was fully compliant with county development regulations, Department of Natural Resources forest-clearing regulations, and federal wetlands rules.
If it wasn’t, what happens next?
I have a call in to Planning this morning — Monday, Aug. 1. Ryan apparently is out of the office until Wednesday, but I’m hoping to hear from someone else in that office today. I have also emailed Whatcom County Executive Pete Kremen, and I also hope to hear from SSA Marine spokespersons. Stay tuned.
sounds like trespassing to me – prosecute to the fullest extent of the law
Grading wetlands? Is there any doubt that SSA and the rest of those involved in this project are NOT concerned about the environment. Wake up you fencesitters!
I’m glad John Stark is on this. I’m also surprised there has been nothing in the Herald yet about this, even if there are many questions yet to be answered. Regardless of one’s opinion on the SSA Marine coal proposal, going ahead with this work before the EIS and other legally required steps is an astonishing move and shows a cynical and disrespectful attitude toward legal and adequate public process.
My understanding was that their original permit was denied due to lack of accurate information and/or erroneous information. If the county doesn’t have any teeth to deal with this blatant lack of regard for our county permits, doesn’t the DNR have the ability to mete our some justice for this arrogant defiance of our local government and transparent processes?
Does being elected to county council give a person the right to walk around on private property taking pictures, drawing maps, and publishing them on their local blogs?
If so, then I appeal to all seven on the council, to close my backyard gate when they leave, so the dogs don’t get loose.
Well it is a good question, was he traspassing and is he above the law.
Does the ends justify the means, IMHO this information could have been bought to light without breaking the law to do it.
So the question remains to be answered.
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
At the same time SAA Marine is promising the highest possible environmental standards while negotiating adjusting terms of their binging court settlement they are mucking around in the wetlands under the jurisdiction of the US Corp of Engineers without getting a Department of Natural Resources Forest Practices Act permit and not using required Best Management Practices. Can anyone defend that kind of irresponsibility?
SSA Marine needs to get a crew of 20 workers or more out there today to install silt barriers and water bars and conform to storm water best management practices. Please do not ask me to believe anything SSA Marine says again.
@AFY
Uh…
Folks, listen up…
If I am walking past your private property and notice you doing something illegal on your property and step on your property to capture that illegal activity with the camera on my smart phone… I suppose you would have to accuse me of trespassing… just to change the subject from your illegal activity.
But bear in mind that the activity Mr Weimer discovered was not exactly done with any expectation of privacy, which is what trespassing is all about.
Someone build a ROAD on this private property that connects to ROADS on public property. Where’s the damn permit?
We aren’t going to stop talking about what SSA Marine was doing until we get some answers.
Jedi mInd tricks only work on the weak willed. And you ain’t exactly a Jedi Knight, AFY.
Go play with your light saber.
Is this land accessible to hunters BTW?
Well Aman, the law is the law and if we have an elected official breaking the law, we all have a right to know it, whether he inhaled or not (personally methinks he inhaled!).
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
Was he hunting?
See more questions, what a cloud we seem to be conjuring up, don’t ya know.
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
If it is legal for Carl to shoot a deer on that property, then I think its okay for him to shoot a picture on that property.
To those of you hyperventilating about trespass on the SSA property–
I’ve been out there a few times and the property is unfenced and unposted–at least that was the case as of a few weeks ago. In fact, the beach at the end of Gulf Road gets a lot of public use.
The paved road through the property is a county road. In order to use the property for one of the largest piles of coal in North America, SSA will need to ask the County Council to vacate the road. In other words, they will ask our representatives to turn the public’s property over to them. That should be an interesting vote.
But the new roads they cut without permits? They belong to SSA.
Ellie: This story emerged late Friday while I was on vacation. We have one reporter working on Saturday and Sunday. So the matter was waiting for me this morning when I got back. I’m working on a story for Tuesday’s paper, and I’m trying to find out what Whatcom County’s position is on this site work.
Carl is a giant of a man, for his outsized footprints to have caused so many trees to topple into wetlands. That is the impact that has upset everyone so much, isn’t it?
He’s no giant, Jean. I’ve met him, and he ain’t even six foot.
He’s only a giant compared to, say, AFY!
Don’t pick on us Hobbits, now! We have this way of getting the job done.
John, hyperventilating can be fun, don’t ya know!
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
Wally,
I’m really disappointed. I expect less than nothing from AFY, but you had always shown some integrity in what you write. Equating Carl walking down a road dozed across an industrial property to going into your backyard is such an obvious false equivalency that it’s just silly.
Why don’t you read the County’s “Land Disturbance and Clearing Application” and get up to speed on the subject.
see county website: http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/pds/plan/current/gpt-ssa/index.jsp
and look down to “recent documents”
Why is everybody picking on AFY?? I’m not the one trespassing!
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
Probably it’s the inane comments that make you a target of ridicule.
Elmer is this what you be referring to:
“SSA Marine and its engineering contractors understood that we had permission and were in full
compliance with county regulations for gathering geotechnical information for the EIS.
“As soon as we became aware there was a question about our compliance, we ordered an
immediate stop to all work until we had cleared up the matter.
“We have reconfirmed to all our employees and contractors on the Gateway project that SSA
Marine has a strict standard of full compliance with all environmental regulations and we expect
them to meet that standard at all times.”
See Carl you didn’t need to trespass (disclaimer: still not proven or disproven for sure yet) after all.
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
Sometimes it’s be the court jester who really be the one laughing, don’t ya know!
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!whohasn’ttrespassanywhereatleastlately!!!!
I just noticed that Weimer doesn’t say who made the roads. Wouldn’t it just be hilarious if someone like DNR or the county did the roads? Wouldn’t everyone whom has played judge jury and executioner look like a real idiot. Maybe we should all wait and see what the facts are before we pass judgement. After all, we are professing to be open minded and fair. Or does that only apply when it is convenient? Let he who hath no sin cast the first stone…
Did they have a forest practice permit to cut for conversion? If not, isn’t there a five year moratorium on conversion of forest lands upon which clearing was illegally commenced? A five year wait could put a damper on their enthusiasm!
Watters said they are acting in accordance with the 1992 permit. In fact, it is the applications that date to 1992; the permits were granted in 1997; they were then tied up in litigation until the 1999 settlement agreement.
Thank you, John Stark, for doing the investigative footwork required to clarify how it could be that the Gateway Pacific Terminal project management cleared about 4.5 acres of wetlands under the nose of Whatcom County’s Planning and Development Services without the required forest practices act permit from the Department of Natural Resources and without seeking proper County authorization for wetlands destruction.
Given past flagrant abuse of labor and environmental regulations, I am not surprised that SSA marine and their cronies would consider themselves above the law in this matter. When, barely 2 months ago, Sahlin applied to Whatcom County Planning for a Major Project Permit on behalf of the GPT project, he was found by project opponents to have “modified” the County’s form. In past dealings with the County and City attorneys of the Sahlin family owned Governor’s Point Development Company were accused of making “false and/or misleading” statements with regard to a major subdivision they wanted to put through. All of this information and more can be found online.
Most of us operate in good faith when seeking permits or following City and County legislation; and, we know we would face the consequences if we did not. How is it that GPT feels assured that it can act against the best interests of the citizens of Whatcom County and, in fact, the State without consequence?
Who said:
“Maybe we should all wait and see what the facts are before we pass judgment. After all, we are professing to be open minded and fair. Or does that only apply when it is convenient?”
There’s may be water found in this desert yet!
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
@non compliant
If the County made the roads, I believe they would know and would have told Carl.
Same for DNR…
Perhaps the roads were an example of the increasing gang activity in the County that the Sheriff warned us about.
@AFY
I’d say seeing road grading and clear cut land on SSA Marine’s property is pretty compelling in terms of facts.
What more information do you need?
http://www.whatcomcounty.us/pds/plan/current/gpt-ssa/pdf/20110722-fitch-to-strong-email.pdf
All is answered here, though why not made public for a week and a half is another questions.