I take exception with Rob Harris’ Sept. 7 op-ed column “Clashing views on oil plan: Vancouver terminal would bring jobs, stimulate economy.” Harris contends Tesoro is “committed to safety and environmental protection.” The truth is, Tesoro has an abysmally poor record of safety.
In Pacheco, Calif., on Feb. 12 of this year, two men were sprayed with sulfuric acid. They received first- and second-degree burns to their faces. The Cal/OSHA shut down the part of the plant where the accident occurred. When the U.S. Chemical Safety Board wanted access to inspect the site Tesoro “rebuffed” them, and continued to rebuff them. In addition to this incident, in April 2010 at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes, seven workers were killed in an explosion. The chemical safety board’s draft report said, “Tesoro had a lax approach to safety that led to catastrophic consequences.”
Harris also states that oil trains have been traveling “through Vancouver, and have been doing so safely for many years.” The truth is that crude oil shipments in Washington went from zero in 2011 to 17 million barrels in 2013. This is a couple of years, not many years.
Report facts and truths rather than espouse falsehoods that attempt to put a dangerous and reckless company in a good light.
