Apr 13, 2019 - Washington Tribes stand with the Puyallup Tribe

On April 10, 2019, the Puyallup Tribe sent the following letter to Gov. Jay Inslee to voice opposition to the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility on their homelands. The letter was signed by 17 Tribal Chairs from Washington State Tribes showing their support for No LNG.

Dear Governor Inslee,

As tribal leaders from across the state, we stand united with our Coast Salish relatives from the Puyallup Tribe of Indians in their fight to defend their treaty and their homelands. The people, land, and water of the Puyallup Tribe are threatened by the devastating effects of Puget Sound Energy’s Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility. And the review process for this project is so severely flawed that the State of Washington must intervene.

By law, developments like the LNG facility require government-to-government consultation with our sovereign tribal nations. Yet the City of Tacoma failed to properly consult with the Puyallup Tribe, thereby denying tribal rights and threatening the health, culture, and livelihood of thousands of tribal members. In addition, the LNG project also threatens the human rights of others in the region, including those held by ICE at the nearby Northwest Detention Center.

Since the LNG project was proposed and evaluated, it has changed dramatically. The development plans have been altered by at least seven substantive changes that have not been addressed by any EIS review. In fact, the reviews are so flawed that the Attorney General’s Office has called portions of them “fictional.”

Moreover, since the LNG project was proposed and evaluated, the science has changed. A new and more complete understanding of methane leakage indicates that gas infrastructure, like the LNG facility, is far more harmful than previously thought. It is a threat both to the global climate and to the natural resources of tribes around the region.

We have seen recent leadership in Washington State. Officials have stood up to dirty energy developments that threaten tribal rights, including rejections of coal ports at Cherry Point and Longview, and an oil train terminal at Vancouver. We are asking for your leadership again. As Governor, we urge you to demand that the City of Tacoma initiate a supplemental EIS process — co-led by the Washington Department of Ecology — that would properly consult with the Puyallup Tribe; adequately address the many substantive changes to the project; and include the new information and science now available.

Sincerely,

Chairman Bernard Afterbuffalo
Hoh Indian Tribe

Chairman W. Ron Allen
Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe

Chairwoman Frances Charles
Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe

Chairman Ken Choke
Nisqually Indian Tribe

Chairman Roswell “Ross” Cline
Nooksack Indian Tribe

Chairman Arnold Cooper
Squaxin Island Tribe

Chairwoman Carol Evans
Spokane Tribe of Indians

Chairman Leonard Forsman
Suquamish Tribe

Chairman JoDe Goudy
Yakama Nation

Chairman Jeremiah “Jay” Julius
Lummi Nation

Chairman Charles “Guy” Miller
Skokomish Indian Tribe

Chairwoman Charlene Nelson
Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe

President Fawn Sharp
Quinault Indian Nation

Chairman Jeromy Sullivan
Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe

Chairman Doug Woodruff
Quileute Tribe

Chairman Shawn Yanity
Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians

Chairwoman Marie Zackuse
Tulalip Tribes