We can’t let the putrid smell of animal rendering put a cloud over Tacoma — again | Opinion
After all the years of fighting the stigma of the “Aroma of Tacoma,” our city’s political and business leadership should celebrate that old insult becoming obsolete. The noxious reek that used to blanket our city is a plague of the past. A generation is growing up in a forward-looking, vibrant place that is building sustainable jobs that aren’t yoked to foul, city-staining industries out of the era of Upton Sinclair.
Tacoma has become an oasis where small business can grow and young professionals want to build a vibrant community. Outdoor recreation in and near the city — kayaking, paddleboarding, biking, hiking, you name it — is a major selling point.
People want to live next to, and frolic around, our waterfront. And yet, all the hard-fought progress that got us here is in jeopardy. So is the city’s ability to grow a workforce and economy built around this being an equitable and livable community.
In a move that is maddening to those of us devoted to a brighter future for Tacoma, the Port of Tacoma is considering dragging the city back into the stench of the past. The Darling Ingredients animal rendering facility — a major contributor to the worst odors that ever clouded our atmosphere — wants to bring its stench back to Tacoma.
The Darling facility, with its history of pollution and environmental breaches, is from a chapter of history we should be closing, not reviving. The air pollutants, the noxious plumes reaching into our neighborhoods and the hazardous impact on human health all hearken to an era when industrial progress often came at the expense of our community’s well-being. Maybe this was once “what money smells like” in Tacoma. We ought not force a city of 250,000 to live that way again for the sake of a few dozen jobs.
Darling’s track record of noncompliance and safety lapses also poses a direct threat to Tacoma’s residents and workers. This company has a long history of odor leaks, fires, equipment failures and fines for permit violations. Do we want to expose our citizens to the risks associated with a facility that has, in recent years, become synonymous with environmental mishaps and worker safety issues?
Tacoma’s economic destiny is entwined with this decision. The Tideflats are a canvas upon which we can paint a vision of prosperity, innovation and sustainability. Reopening Darling Ingredients threatens to shackle us to a past where economic development was synonymous with environmental degradation and public health risks.
That this is even being considered by Port of Tacoma commissioners sends a conflicting message to businesses considering Tacoma as their home. Do we want to be known for embracing the future or for clinging to practices that are incongruent with our vision for a thriving and sustainable community?
The “aroma” of our past was, and is, not merely a nuisance. It’s a metaphor for Tacoma’s identity. If we choose to forge ahead with Darling, we risk becoming a city that prioritizes the past over the future, a city that will struggle to attract the innovative enterprises that could define Tacoma as a port of progress.
Please urge our Port commissioners and city council to be deliberate in our choice. The decision before us is not just about reopening a facility; it’s about defining who we are and who we aim to become. Do we choose progress, innovation, and a sustainable future, or do we cling to the perils of the past?
It’s time to rally around the small businesses that have become engines of our city’s progress, not to shrug and regard highly polluting industry as our necessary burden. The Darling facility’s proposed reopening threatens not just the environment but the very essence of our economic vitality.
The values of our small business and startup community offer a better path to ensure, Tacoma remains a beacon of opportunity, innovation, and an unparalleled quality of life.
“You’ll like Tacoma” isn’t just a cute waterfront sign. It’s a promise that we care about the future here.