Chinook Ventures on Longview's Alcoa site has had consistent problems following laws that the nearby Port of Longview follows to protect the river.

The mile-long spill, first spotted Tuesday morning, turned out to be floating petroleum coke. The 416-acre Chinook Ventures port facility that spill investigators are focusing on is already the source of a lawsuit. A Cowlitz County community group recently formed to oppose its presence, and Washington state regulators have known for years it is flouting federal air and water protection rules. “They are operating completely illegally, and Ecology is allowing them to do that,” said Brett VandenHeuvel, director of Columbia Riverkeeper, which filed the suit against Chinook last year. “And what happens when you do that is, you get spills. And you’re allowing them to undercut the other guys [like the Port of Longview], those who are playing by the rules.”

From the Oregonian, February 5, 2010