Sumas 2 was a proposal for an additional
cogeneration electric power plant in the town of
Sumas,
Washington near the
Canada–United States border
The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Can ...
. The excess heat from this generator was to be used by a wood products processing company. The original proposal came in 1999, and was revised twice in 2000 and 2001. It was approved in 2004 by the governor of Washington state. A power
transmission line was to be constructed to a sub-station in
Abbotsford,
British Columbia but the Canadian
National Energy Board
The National Energy Board was an independent economic regulatory agency created in 1959 by the Government of Canada to oversee "international and inter-provincial aspects of the oil, gas and electric utility industries". Its head office was located ...
in 2004 and the
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...
in 2006 denied permission to construct the transmission line. Sumas Energy 2.inc, the company behind the proposal, requested that the Washington's Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council terminate their Site Certification Agreement. This occurred in April 2006.
There is already a cogeneration plant in Sumas
E1 This proposal would have added a second plant
E2 This proposal was considered controversial because it burns natural gas to generate power and the resulting pollutants would have drifted up the valley, adding to pollution already generated by the populous
Lower Mainland
The Lower Mainland is a geographic and cultural region of the mainland coast of British Columbia that generally comprises the regional districts of Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley. Home to approximately 3.05million people as of the 2021 Canadia ...
of British Columbia, which includes
Vancouver.
The proposed second plant would be five times larger than the existing plant. The proposed site was over an
active fault, placing the proposed 16 inch high pressure natural gas line and tanks containing hazardous fuels and chemicals in danger. A high pressure natural gas line had just recently exploded in the foothills near the proposed site due to shifting soils. An aquifer serving much of Whatcom County and Abbotsford, British Columbia is located directly beneath the site.
The site is in a floodplain that has experienced recent floods strong enough to sweep vehicles off roadways. The proposed fill for the plant would displace floodwaters onto neighboring farms and homes, increasing flood depths by up to a foot.
Air emissions from the plant were predicted to be up to 3 tons per day of criteria pollutants.
The Washington State Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council initially denied the project, but NESCO resubmitted their application for reconsideration without the diesel component that was contained in their initial application.
The National Energy Board received approximately 25,000 letters regarding the project, mostly in opposition.
NEB Exhibit List for Sumas 2 (approx. 25,000 letters catalogued)
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References
Canada–United States relations
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