The loaded cargo ship that ran aground Nov. 14 in Woodland is a reminder of what could happen if Tesoro manages to build an oil terminal and is shipping almost half a million barrels of oil a day down the Columbia River. It is not just that the oil trains themselves could crash or explode, it’s that huge container ships could have a large oil spill that would destroy the fragile ecosystem of the Columbia River Gorge.
The Columbia River is shallow in places and also has changing tides throughout the day. A spill anywhere on the river could easily spread and contaminate large areas including the waterfronts of both Portland and Vancouver.
I am angry that Tesoro tried to pre-empt the opinions of Clark County residents by doing its own biased survey because they knew if we had a choice our answer would be a definitive “no.”
