A draft resolution on rail safety headed to the board of the Port of Camas-Washougal on Tuesday calls on government agencies and railroads to address any possible negative effects from increased oil shipment through the east Clark County communities.
While not opposing a rail-to-marine oil transfer terminal at the Port of Vancouver, a draft resolution says the three-member commission “supports the full mitigation of negative impacts to our safety, mobility, environment, and to other sectors of the our region’s economy” from the increased movement of oil trains through the region.
The draft resolution also calls for the Washington Department of Transportation and the Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board to “analyze and study the potential economic effect of this oil train traffic on the displacement of existing economic activity, the potential loss of access to rail transport by local and regional shippers, as well as by commuter services (Amtrak), and the economic damages to the public resulting from accidents on the rails.”
The proposed resolution revives a discussion at the port that fell dormant last fall when the commission declined to pursue a resolution backed by Commissioner Bill Ward that would have expressed concerns about increased oil train traffic. The makeup of the commission changed this fall with the appointment of John Spencer to fill a seat that became empty with the death of Commissioner Mark Lampton, who died in August after a battle with cancer. Spencer expressed interest in considering a resolution on oil transport issues, said David Ripp, the port’s executive director.