In his April 6 local view, “Economic development needs certainty,” Port of Vancouver Commissioner Jerry Oliver’s view is that government has no business considering the impact of storing hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil here in Vancouver and shipping that oil to refineries in other parts of the country. The only justifiable consideration, Oliver states, is the oil’s impact on the local economy, not to mention the $4.5 million a year the port itself stands to gain over 10 years.
Oliver’s view is blinded by money — and he is wrong. The transport of a polluting and combustible commodity along the railroad tracks in our Gorge and our cities, the storing of that commodity within our community and the shipping of that same commodity on our waterways do indeed come within the purview of state environmental review agencies.
Our port handles steel, plywood, aluminum and forest products in addition to millions of bushels of grain, all of which provide employment and other forms of economic gain to our community without the threat of explosion or ecological damage to us and to the world’s climate. Oliver is being disingenuous in placing oil in the same category as grain as a storage and transport item necessitating broad and stringent environmental oversight. The Port of Vancouver must be overseen according to the impact of its activities, as well as content and scope.
Joel Littauer
Vancouver
