Vancouver Port Commissioner Jerry Oliver’s Dec. 2 letter, “Risks studied before finalizing deal,” which criticized Bill Ward, Port of Camas-Washougal commissioner, was more defensive than objective. Oliver, in his pro-oil terminal statements, has, by omission, not given a balanced overall picture.
Examples:
o Teroso-Savage has a history of a poor safety record.
o He minimized the high volatility of fracking crude and the failure rate of the T111 and 111A tank cars constructed prior to October 2011, which has been demonstrated by the accident in Quebec, Canada, that leveled most of the town and killed 47 people. Nor did he allude to the T111-111A tank cars containing fracking crude, which exploded in a recent derailment in Alabama at a speed of less than 40 mph.
o Port commissioners describe the Teroso-Savage oil terminal as “state of the art.” However, they do not speak of a “state of the art” security system. With a capacity of 2.25 million barrels of highly volatile crude, it poses a potential hazard and danger to the people of Clark County.
o Teroso-Savage appears unwilling to upgrade T111-111A tank cars constructed before October 2011. This poses a threat to our environment.
