In Our View: Time Not of the Essence

Patience, it has been noted, is a virtue — an aphorism that is particularly relevant during the laborious consideration of a proposal for an oil-by-rail terminal at the Port of Vancouver.

While frustration with the process is spilling forth from the parties involved, that frustration is matched — or possibly exceeded — by the public. As the process for reviewing the plan drags on, local residents and officials understandably are weary of discussion about what would be the nation’s largest rail-to-marine oil terminal.

Yet drag on, the process must. The terminal proposed by Tesoro Corp. and Savage Cos. — acting jointly as Vancouver Energy — would be a community-altering project and requires the utmost diligence from the state’s Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council. The Columbian has written editorially in opposition to the terminal, and we continue to believe that it would be detrimental to Clark County, yet patience is a necessity — even as what is supposed to be a 12-month process has been going on for nearly two years.

Because of that glacial pace, Tesoro and Savage officials recently sent a critical letter to EFSEC leaders, writing, “This ongoing pattern of delay and uncertainty demonstrates once again that the permitting process in Washington is broken, severely lacking in accountability, and a significant detriment to enterprises looking to conduct business in the state.” EFSEC officials responded by writing that the companies’ preliminary draft environmental impact statement failed to “meet even the basic requirements for fully describing and analyzing project impacts.” That letter also claimed that the impact statement contained shortcomings in the areas of emergency response, marine and rail risk analysis, and seismic risk.

Therein lies the crux of the issue. While residents can weigh the economic benefits of the terminal against the inherent dangers of increased oil-train traffic, the overriding concern must be one of emergency response and preparedness. Numerous oil-bearing trains throughout North America have derailed and exploded in the past couple years, delivering catastrophic results for residents and for the environment.

While no amount of safeguards can guarantee the safe shipment of volatile crude from the Bakken region of North Dakota, every effort must be made to ensure that the inevitable spill or derailment will be met with adequate planning and sufficient funding from the companies, minimizing the burden placed upon residents and taxpayers. Regardless of how often and how vociferously Tesoro and Savage say they will be good community partners, it is essential to have that commitment in writing, just in case.

Given that notion of community partnership, the companies’ letter to the state agency was surprising in its tone. Tesoro and Savage essentially have asked if they can set up shop in our community, and adopting a tenor of petulance and anger does little to make them welcome as guests. In fairness, that should not impact the evaluation of the proposed terminal, which should be considered solely on its benefits and its drawbacks. But in reality, the letter reflects poorly upon the companies and calls into question their willingness to work with the public and with regulators throughout the process.

Tesoro and Savage might be frustrated by delays in the evaluation, but state officials should offer no apologies for employing diligence on behalf of residents. Sometimes, a little patience is required.