The problems revealed by the story in the Feb. 7 story, “Tesoro to upgrade fleet of rail cars,” are in the details.
These cars represent a small fraction of the national tanker car pool and will not be the only cars carrying oil to the Vancouver Tesoro-Savage site, if approved. The cars are said to be equipped with pressure-relief devices, which would reduce pressure by “relieving” the combustible or toxic product into the environment.
The story reveals that Tesoro is aware that these cars may not meet federal standards now under development. However, they might be “grandfathered” and allow Tesoro to avoid future standards, which are likely to be more strict.
Theresa Wagner, communications manager for the Port of Vancouver, is quoted as saying, “The port’s top priority has always been safety, and we believe this decision is a critical step in that direction.” The Port of Vancouver is probably paying far more for lobbyists than for safety engineers. The safe thing to do is oppose the oil facility. Oil facilities are inherently unsafe and the most dangerous item is the public official who says otherwise.
