Court throws wrench in plans for big Washington oil terminal

SEATTLE (AP) _ The Washington Supreme Court has thrown a major wrench in plans for a big oil terminal in Grays Harbor, saying the project must be reviewed under a 1989 law passed following the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska.

The justices on Thursday unanimously reversed a decision by the state Court of Appeals that the Ocean Resources Management Act did not apply.

Westway Terminal, recently renamed Contanda, wants to expand its existing methanol facility receive up to 17.8 million barrels of oil a year, including from the Bakken region of North Dakota and Montana, for shipping to refineries in California and Puget Sound. A spokesman did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

Kristen Boyles, an attorney with the environmental law Earthjustice, which represents the tribal and environmental groups, said she doesn't believe the project can win approval under the stringent standards of the 1989 law.