Puget Sound Energy has asked the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency to revise several terms in the air permit for its Tacoma Tideflats LNG facility. The requested edits concern the tank’s listed capacity, a gas-storage temperature condition, sulfur reporting and the accounting of boil-off gas. PSE says they would not change the facility’s operations; the Puyallup Tribe of Indians is urging the agency to examine the changes before deciding whether to approve them.
What PSE Is Asking For
PSE submitted its requested modifications in a letter dated May 3, 2024, according to The News Tribune. One change would raise the permit’s stated LNG tank volume from 8 million to 8.41 million gallons. PSE says the higher figure more precisely reflects the tank’s full capacity. The utility also seeks to remove a requirement that LNG be stored at or below minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit and to report monthly sulfur content based on gas processed at the facility rather than gas entering it.
Another requested revision concerns boil-off gas, the vapor that naturally forms as LNG warms. PSE wants reliquefied boil-off gas returned to storage without further treatment excluded from the facility’s daily production and processing limit of 250,000 gallons per calendar day, The News Tribune reported. The paper also reported that PSE said its sulfur figure is calculated using Williams pipeline information from the Sumas compressor station, along with an odorant contribution.
PSE says the requested edits are limited to permit language and would not change emissions or production capacity, according to the company’s statement to The News Tribune. The agency’s public notice similarly says the proposal would authorize no physical changes at the facility and no increase in production or air emissions. Those are the stated effects of the proposal; the agency’s review and public-comment process will determine whether the changes are approved.
The Tribe Pushes Back
The Tribe has challenged whether the requested language changes can be treated as routine without further verification. According to The News Tribune’s account of the Tribe’s letter, the Tribe objected to removing the temperature condition, describing that proposal as highly problematic, and cited potential environmental and safety hazards. It has asked the agency to deny the changes or require independent analysis and public comment before making a final decision. The Tribe also wants supporting modeling and analysis before the agency approves the higher storage-capacity figure.
This isn't the tribe's first run-in with the Tacoma LNG permitting process. The Puyallup Tribe participated in the facility's original permit process back in 2019, submitting comments and appearing at public hearings that year. After the agency issued Order of Approval No. 11386 on December 10, 2019, the tribe appealed that approval to the Pollution Control Hearings Board, and later took the board's final order to the Washington State Court of Appeals.
A Facility With a Rocky Compliance History
The Tribe’s concerns come amid a record of air-permit enforcement at the facility. Since the plant came online in 2022, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has issued 19 notices identifying violations on roughly 50 days, according to The Seattle Times. The facility has operated since February 2022, the outlet reported in earlier coverage.
What Tideflats Air Monitoring Shows
For regional monitoring context, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency’s 2022 air-quality summary describes the Tacoma Tideflats site as an urban location with industrial sources. It says speciation samples are collected every sixth day and that the Washington Department of Ecology operates the site. This describes the monitoring context; it does not establish emissions or risks from the permit changes under review.
PSE has also walked away from permitting fights before. The utility canceled a proposed expansion of the Tacoma LNG facility after the Puyallup Tribe and community groups appealed permits tied to that project, the Times reported, noting that rather than defend the project, PSE backed down. The city confirmed at the time that PSE had withdrawn its permit revision request and canceled its building permit for dock modifications tied to that expansion.
Where the Review Stands
The agency has made a preliminary determination that application No. 12449 meets Regulations I, II and III, and that a draft order should be approved subject to conditions, according to its website. The agency’s public notice says the draft order may be revised and will either be denied or issued in final form after the agency reviews public comments.
The agency declined to comment on PSE’s application while the draft permit remains open for public input, The News Tribune reported. It has said a final permitting decision will come after the public process concludes. The public may submit written comments by mail, fax or email. The supplied materials give conflicting dates for the hearing and comment deadline: The News Tribune reports a virtual hearing scheduled for November 12 and comments due November 13 at 4:30 p.m.; a separate agency notice lists a Zoom hearing held September 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. Pacific Time, with comments due by 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time on September 29. Residents who want to weigh in should confirm the current schedule directly with the agency.
