The Tesoro-Savage oil terminal at the Port of Vancouver is not a done deal. A lease was signed, but next come the impact studies. Gov. Jay Inslee can deny the proposal and needs to hear our concerns. Send yours to efsec@utc.wa.gov by Nov. 18. Here are mine.
Picture 380,000 barrels of crude oil traveling along the Columbia River Gorge in four mile-and-a-half-long trains (100-110 cars) daily. Derailments happen. Spilled oil would sink and travel the fast current, spreading extensively. Prevailing wind patterns would carry daily chemical emissions from the facility to nearby neighborhoods. Bakken oil is more combustible. It is acquired in North Dakota by the environmentally questionable practice of fracking. The field there was recently the site of a significant spill. A strong earthquake would threaten the river. The soil would likely liquefy, breaking berms around storage tanks. Damaged berms would not be able to contain leaking oil.
The president of our local ILWU said the 120 jobs created are not worth the threat to the environment, health, and livability of our community, and they don’t want them. It’s not “if” an accident happens; it’s “when.”
Do you want Vancouver known for its dirty fossil fuels on the river? I don’t.
