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In Our View: Assessing Oil Readiness

Region's disaster preparedness if terminal is built crucial evaluation factor

The Columbian
Published: November 6, 2014, 12:00am

For residents in Clark and Skamania counties, the most important aspect of a proposed oil terminal at the Port of Vancouver is easy to delineate. The overriding question for those who live here now and will live here in the future involves preparedness in the event of an oil spill, explosion, or other accident as millions of gallons of volatile crude are hauled near the hearts of our communities.

Now, residents can only hope that Cardno Entrix shares those concerns, as the Australian-based company has been selected by the state Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council to study the region’s readiness for such a disaster. Local officials had urged the state council to have the city of Vancouver select an independent company to conduct the study, yet the decision was made last week to have Cardno Entrix include such an evaluation in an overall environmental assessment.

This might or might not be problematic for local residents. The Port of Vancouver has reached an agreement with Tesoro Corp. and Savage Companies for the construction of an oil terminal that will accept up to 360,000 barrels of crude per day — about 15 million gallons — by rail and transfer it to ships for export down the Columbia River. The proposal is being reviewed by the state siting council, which will present its findings to Gov. Jay Inslee for the final decision on whether to approve the facility.

In the wake of a spate of oil-train explosions in North America, the proposal has delivered to Vancouver’s doorstep questions about the safety of oil-bearing trains. And the fact that Cardno Entrix has done work for Tesoro on other matters does little to ease the concerns brought about by those questions.

In that regard, the state Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council has erred. In considering a proposal that has generated copious public response and — in some cases — anger, the appearance of diligence and impartiality is vital. As Jim Luce, a Vancouver resident who served as the siting council chairman from 2001 until 2013, said, “This is perhaps one of the very most important parts of the environmental impact analysis.”

It almost certainly is the most important part in the minds of residents. The magnitude of readiness for an eventual catastrophe was highlighted by a 2013 derailment and explosion in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, that killed 47 people and wiped out much of the town. The ability of local fire officials to deal with a similar explosion strikes at the heart of the issue for those who live in the heavily populated communities that are poised to see several mile-long trains each day.

How much firefighting equipment can reach the site? Is there enough fire retardant in the region? Will residents be able to be evacuated? And what if a derailment occurs near the Interstate 5 or Interstate 205 interchanges and emergency assistance from the Oregon side of the river is unavailable? These are the questions that should be answered, and they should be answered to the satisfaction of those who actually live near the path of the trains.

“I am confident this analysis will address concerns raised by the city of Vancouver,” wrote Stephen Posner, the siting council’s staff manager, in a letter to city officials. Still, we urge Vancouver leaders to continue to press the issue. Cardno Entrix, Tesoro, and Savage are not vested in Vancouver. No, it is the people who live here who will have to deal with the immediacy and — more important — the aftermath of a catastrophe.

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