Deputies, Protesters Create Friendly Vibe at Natural Gas Protest South of Chehalis

On a dead end county road south of Chehalis, five protesters on Thursday marched a mile to hand-deliver a letter to the manager of the Jackson Prairie gas storage site owned by Puget Sound Energy. 

The protesters were met by four deputies from the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, but the mood remained friendly on both sides. Prior to the protesters arrival, 10 deputies were at the scene.  

The goal of the protesters was to voice their concern over the proposed liquified natural gas facility in Tacoma, which would provide natural gas for customers in addition to maritime needs to fuel ships that run on gas instead of diesel fuel. 

“Puget Sound Energy is working hard to pave a path to a cleaner energy future for our customers. PSE started a journey more than 10 years ago to reduce our carbon footprint,” PSE spokeswoman Kim Janet said in an email to The Chronicle. “We are building a $300 million liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant on Port of Tacoma property to provide cleaner fuel for ships, as well as much-needed additional natural gas for customers in the growing Tacoma area. The facility will create family-wage jobs and create the greenest shipping fleet on the West Coast.” 

The project is a joint effort with the Port of Tacoma. It is opposed by the Puyallup Tribe and others. 

Carrying signs stating “Water is Life” and “Puget Sound Energy Fracking Profits Over People,” the protesters walked from the Jackson Courthouse on Jackson Highway to the storage site at 739 Zandecki Road. 

The group, organized by Indivisible Lewis County, believes PSE should stop expanding its fossil fuel facilities and instead expand its renewable energy sources, protester and local activist Larry Kerschner said. He along with the others are opposed to fracking because it pollutes groundwater and is detrimental to the environment, he said. Their goal was to send a “loud and clear message” to PSE demanding they stop plans for the Tacoma facility and pursue renewable options.  

“It is actually probably dirtier than coal,” Kerschner said about fracking. 

The letter was delivered to the facility’s manager, Pat Haworth, and called for an end to PSE’s Tacoma project and for the company to work quickly to get 100 percent of its energy from renewable resources. 

“We are gravely concerned about climate change,” the letter states. “We are alarmed that this project is proceeding despite strong local opposition, including from Puyallup tribal members.” 

During the walk, Lewis County Deputy Chief Bruce Kimsey offered to give the protesters rides to the site if they could not make it. 

On the way there, the group politely declined the rides, but once the march was over, two members of the group did take him up on his offer to drive them back to get a car to give the rest of the group a ride. 

“We are down here because of a report of a protest. We didn’t know if it was a happy protest or an angry protest, so we came down here to make sure everyone is all right,” Kimsey said. 

At 11:15 a.m. on Thursday, the department received a report of a possible protest at the Jackson Prairie gas storage station set for 3:15 p.m. later that day, he said. The report was originally made by PSE to the Chehalis Police Department, which forwarded it to the Sheriff’s Office. 

At 3 p.m., 10 units were at the scene waiting for the protesters. Sheriff Rob Snaza, who was among them, said it was a training day so more deputies were on duty at the time. By the time the protesters arrived at 4 p.m,. four units were left at the scene.

“You never know how big it will be,” Snaza said. 

Snaza added he and his deputies were there to make sure the property rights of the landowners were not violated while the protesters expressed their right to protest. 

Throughout the northwest, similar protests took place Thursday. Kerschner said he wished the area was more populated compared to the dead end rural road, but it is the only PSE facility in Lewis County, he said.