PORTLAND, Ore. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Portland District is seeking public comment on a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for a proposed renewable diesel facility at Port Westward in Columbia County, Oregon.
Renewable Fuels of Oregon, LLC has applied for a USACE permit to construct the NEXT Renewable Fuels facility, which aims to produce up to 1.4 billion gallons of renewable diesel annually at Port Westward. The DEIS provides a detailed analysis of the project’s potential environmental effects on resources such as water quality, fish and wildlife, and local communities, and evaluates several project alternatives.
USACE, as the lead federal agency under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), has prepared a DEIS for the proposed project. The document evaluates several project alternatives as required by the NEPA.
“Public input is a critical part of the NEPA process, and we encourage everyone to review the DEIS and provide their comments,” said Portland District Regulatory Project Manager James Davidson. “Our goal is to thoroughly evaluate the comments while efficiently moving through the permit process to make fair and balanced decisions.”
The DEIS is available for review on the USACE Portland District website at https://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/NEXT-Renewable-Fuels-EIS/.
USACE posted a Notice of Availability for the DEIS in the Federal Register March 6, which initiated the required 45-day comment period.
How to Comment and Participate
The public can review the full DEIS, submit comments, and participate in virtual public meetings. The deadline for all comments is April 20.
Review the Document: The complete Draft EIS is available on the USACE website at: www.nwp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/NEXT-Renewable-Fuels-EIS/
Submit comments:
📧Email: [email protected]
📫Postal mail: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District Mr. James Davidson – NEXT Renewable Fuels Oregon P.O. Box 2946 Portland, OR 97208-2946
💻 Attend a virtual public meeting: USACE will host two meetings to provide information and answer questions. 📅Wednesday, April 1, 1-3 p.m. To join online, click here Join by phone at: 503-207-9433; Phone conference ID: 879 632 239#
📅Thursday, April 2, 6-8 p.m.To join online, click hereJoin by phone at: 503-207-9433; Phone conference ID: 315 295 365#Click the following link for more information and the full Draft EIS: https://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/NEXT-Renewable-Fuels-EIS/