The landscape and seascape at Cherry Point, near Bellingham, Wash. is known in the Lummi language as Xwe’chi’eXen. “For thousands of years, and continuing to this day, our people have lived here, fished here, gathered plants here, raised families here, and buried loved ones here,” said Lummi Nation Chairman Anthony Hillaire.'
British Petroleum's swift purchase of about 1,100 acres of land on Cherry Point for nearly $50 million this month was met by strong opposition from the Lummi Nation, which for years has battled development on the parcels due to the land's cultural significance.
BP, a multinational oil and gas company that operates a nearby refinery, finalized an agreement with Pacific International Holdings, a subsidiary of SSA Marine, on Dec. 22. It paid nearly four times more than the Whatcom County’s assessed value of $13 million for the bundle of 21 parcels.
The land was purchased to serve as an additional buffer area for refinery operations, to increase opportunities for environmental restoration and wetlands mitigation, to gain access to Gulf Road and “to provide options for possible future projects at the refinery,” said Christina Audisho, a BP media relations manager.
