Our organization formed when heavy industry moved into our backyard without vetting, threatening public health and the Salish Sea. We organized to demand a clean, accessible waterfront.
The Port of Bellingham signed a lease that allowed a towering shredded metal mountain to grow on the shoreline almost overnight. The result was constant noise, toxic runoff risks, and unacceptable disruption to our city vision.
This industrial encroachment did not happen in a vacuum. Decisions made by our local representatives paved the way for the ABC metal pile.
Port Commissioners Ken Bell and Bobby Briscoe were instrumental in executing and defending the lease agreements that prioritized heavy industrial use over the wellbeing of Bellingham neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Michael Shepard, though presenting a different public narrative, stood by and permitted the operation to establish itself, failing to provide the decisive resistance needed to protect the waterfront from this threat.
We did not just complain; we gathered noise data proving violations, combed through Department of Ecology reports detailing environmental breaches, and packed local meetings to force transparency.
We successfully engaged in the legal process, challenging the proposed metal shredder on Marine Drive based on environmental impacts. Our evidence led the applicant to withdraw their application, protecting critical habitats and neighborhoods.