New West Coast Oil Refinery Proposed To Meet Clean-Fuel Demand

Along the Columbia River in Washington state, developers are planning the first new oil refinery on the West Coast in 25 years.

Paradoxically, the goal of the project is to meet new clean-fuel standards.

It's certainly not a result local environmental groups expected when they championed those standards.

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The plan is to turn an unused section of the Port of Longview, Washington, into a refinery that handles both crude oil and biofuels, reports NPR.

Riverside Energy--the company proposing the refinery--is seeking to satisfy rising demand for biofuels, particularly in Washington state's neighbors to the south.

In March, the Oregon legislature reauthorized a measure requiring the state to cut carbon emissions from transportation 10 percent over the next decade.

California already has a low-carbon fuel standard, and Washington Governor Jay Inslee has proposed one for this state that is yet to be signed into law.

Riverside expects the refinery to process 45,000 barrels of fuel per day, although only about one-third of that output will be biofuels.

ALSO SEE: Washington State Follows CA, Imposes Low-Carbon Fuel Standard (Apr 2014)