FERNDALE, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A coalition of environmental organizations is calling on Whatcom County to take a closer look at the operations of an energy facility in Ferndale.

AltaGas operates the Ferndale Terminal, which stores and exports liquefied petroleum gas on Cherry Point.

The company applied for a permit to build a new enclosed ground flare, a waste gas recycling project and a number of other projects that had previously been unpermitted.

The county issued a Mitigated Determination of Non-Significance earlier this month, meaning it found that the projects pose no significant harm to the environment.

But environmental advocacy group Friends of the San Juans is urging the county to order a full Environmental Impact Statement on the terminal projects.

“The scale and pace of change at this terminal demands a thorough, science-based review – not an MDNS shortcut,” said Lovel Pratt, Marine Protection and Policy Director at Friends of the San Juans, which is coordinating the coalition effort. “An EIS is the only tool that can fully evaluate cumulative impacts and identify safeguards for people and the Salish Sea.”

The group says rising vessel traffic in the Salish Sea poses a higher risk of accidents and adds more underwater noise and pollution that can harm marine life, such as endangered Southern Resident orcas.

Public comment on the project is being accepted until this Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 4 p.m. by sending an email to akeenan@whatcomcounty.us.