The April 13 story “Foes ask port to ax terminal lease,” about a public hearing on changes to the Tesoro-Savage, now Vancouver Energy, contract with the Port of Vancouver which were requested by the company in order to lower its rent was both balanced and informative. There is a lot for everyone to be concerned about, whether you want the oil terminal or not.
I was particularly troubled by Port of Vancouver CEO Todd Coleman’s remark, “We often see projects in Washington get stuck in quagmires. We need to do a better job of getting to yes or no faster.”
As a private citizen, a county resident, a taxpayer and a consumer of local air and water, I am glad that the system is long, slow and thorough because, as I understand it, the outcome, the yes or no, is final. The stakes are high. Once you’ve sold your quality of life for any amount of money, it’s gone. The question that the process seems to be designed to answer is, “How expensive would this project be for the people like me who live near it?”
This question takes time to explore.
