The train derailment in West Virginia resulted in explosions, fire and possible drinking water contamination. The train was transporting crude oil, similar to what Tesoro-Savage wants to transport and store at the proposed terminal at the Port of Vancouver.
Had this derailment happened here, I’d probably be writing this letter from a shelter since I live so close to the proposed Tesoro-Savage terminal. I’d be writing with a bottle of water in my hand, since the drinking water may have been contaminated. My lungs would be filled with particles of airborne crude oil and fire-suppression chemicals. These chemicals would sour the soil and Columbia River for years. Or, I may not be writing at all had the derailment and explosions leveled my neighborhood, killing us all in Fruit Valley.
This derailment is a glimpse into a potential future in Vancouver. I’m terrified at the thought of living so close to a terminal where a huge amount of oil will be moved and stored. Is money and profit really more important than our lives? Are we acceptable losses in the quest for higher profits?
David Reed
Vancouver
