Whatcom County Council approved a six-month ban on accepting and processing applications and permits for facilities to store and increase the shipment of unrefined fossil fuels at Cherry Point.
The interim moratorium, which is the eleventh of its kind since September 2016 and council says likely the last, allows the planning commission to rework regulations on the industry and manufacturing facilities in the urban growth area.
During their May 18 meeting, councilmembers voted 5-2 in favor of the moratorium with councilmembers Ben Elenbaas and Kathy Kershner opposed.
The commission has used the moratorium to work with a stakeholder group made up of various business agents and labor union representatives to propose amendments for the comprehensive plan, according to the ordinance. The recommendations will then be presented to council for a vote.
Many county councilmembers thanked the stakeholder group – many of whom spoke during the meeting and asked council to refrain from making any more changes to the amendments – for their time and work on the committee.
“This is how democracy is supposed to work,” councilmember Barry Buchanan said. “We’re supposed to engage our community, engage the people that are most affected, and work out solutions.”
Kershner clarified to some speakers that council was not in fact voting on the amendments but the extension of the moratorium. “This is a moratorium that’s been in place for a number of years that we’re extending one more time,” she said.
The last six-month ban was approved by council in its November 24, 2020, meeting.
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