The issues remain the ones that hit closest to home: What kind of community do we wish to create for ourselves and our neighbors? What kind of city do we wish to leave for our children? While the debate over a proposed oil terminal at the Port of Vancouver often becomes derailed and careens onto various tangents, those questions are — and must be — the most salient regarding the issue.
Sure, we can argue about this nation’s dependency upon oil. We can discuss climate change and the dangers of fracking. But the most important aspect of a terminal proposal is the immediate and local impact it would have upon Clark County and the Columbia River Gorge. In this regard, the only logical tack is robust and forceful opposition to the terminal being sought by Tesoro Corp. and Savage Cos.
These thoughts were driven home once again by a recent article from Columbian reporter Dameon Pesanti. In it, Pesanti examined the impact that approval of the Dakota Access pipeline from North Dakota to Illinois would have on the proposed terminal in Vancouver. The conclusion is that there is no conclusion; the oil industry is driven by market forces that can change from year to year, and construction of the pipeline would simply be one more factor in the equation. Meanwhile, it is worth mentioning that pipelines are preferable to transporting oil by rail, and that staunch environmentalists should be more willing to accept this fact.
Still, the question reminds us of the need for resolve in opposing the oil terminal and for recognizing that the terminal would be anathema to the culture of the Pacific Northwest. That culture is driven by a respect for the environment and a desire to be conscientious stewards of the planet. It is driven by a quest to help create a community that reflects the values of the populace and that can attract businesses and residents through an image of clean, healthful living.
