Methanol: What about plant's social impact?

In considering the proposed methanol plant I consistently see two veins of questions.

One is procedural: Can the plant be properly permitted and built on the Tideflats? This question is being addressed by the environmental impact study.

The other question is social: Do we want this plant in Tacoma? I think this is the more important question.

Even if the plant were guaranteed to be perfectly safe, I still would not want it here. This plant represents the worst excesses of our environmentally destructive global economy - using hydrocarbons to create disposable plastics.

We need to focus instead on growing our economy by making Tacoma a center for green technology. We need to attract businesses that we can be proud of, businesses that will inspire true innovation and change, and will unite and enrich our community, rather than making us further complicit in the destruction of our world.

This story was originally published March 2, 2016 at 10:56 AM with the headline "Methanol: What about plant's social impact?."