Cowlitz County Deserves Better [SEP] inception
environmental practices of Chinook Ventures, a private company operating on several hundred riverfront acres owned by Pennsylvania-based aluminum multinational corporation Alcoa, Inc. The investigation was prompted by community concerns over the Washington State Department of Ecology’s issuance of $150,000 USD in fines against Chinook Ventures in March 2009 for "operating without necessary permits and failing to protect air quality and prevent polluted runoff from reaching the Columbia River." The company unsuccessfully appealed the fine.
Cowlitz County Deserves Better’s investigation included interviews with current and former employees of Chinook
Cowlitz County Deserves Better
Cowlitz County Deserves Better is an ad hoc group of more than 100 fishermen, seniors, workers, tribal members and other citizens who live on the lower Columbia River in Washington and Oregon, USA. The group is headquartered in Longview, Washington, and has published goals of promoting "good jobs, a clean river, and air and water free of dangerous toxins" in the region.
In April 2009, members of Cowlitz County Deserves Better launched a broad, 6-month investigation into the operational and