EFSEC’s adjudication at Columbia Tech center last week was fascinating in what was revealed but profoundly boring in the manner of revelation. The 11-member EFSEC committee is the jury, but a jury that can question those in the witness box. The jurors were inquisitive.
They dug into the workings of Vancouver Energy. Four men, Nathan Savage (Savage Co.), Keith Casey (Tesoro) and two top echelon people at Tesoro and Savage, called the management committee, run it. Since there are two Tesoro people and two Savage people, the juror asked what happens when they disagree in a tie. The witness said that’s never happened.
Jurors also inquired into liability insurance. They clearly “get” that Vancouver Energy is intended to absorb the cost of damages (up to $28 million), and to split off into bankruptcy in the event of catastrophic accident — leaving Tesoro and Savage walking away financially intact. That leaves the taxpayer with the remaining damage and cleanup costs.
It’s surprising that the press hasn’t made an issue of this. It’s a common business practice but should be illegal. T-S has everything to gain and essentially nothing to lose in this venture. Does the average citizen “get” this?
