Protect Tacoma's Tideflats

Tacoma is in the bullseye for the next generation of oil and gas development. There is good evidence showing that Tacoma will continue to see new projects proposed and expansion schemes that will advance the next wave of fossil fuel development.

That means that whether it wants to be or not, Tacoma is at a crossroads and it has to make a choice now: its actions will either accelerate climate change and feed some of the most environmentally destructive projects on earth, such as the Canadian tar sands, or it will chart a different course based on cleaner industry and manufacturing that grow the local economy and protect its residents health.

This choice is contentious, it will suck the air out of any conversation about the future of the Port of Tacoma. We need to respond to the community's clear desire to not accelerate climate change. Removing fossil fuel exports from the list of allowable uses in the Port will allow us to get on with attracting the kind of livable wage, clean manufacturing jobs we do want.