For three years now, proponents of an oil terminal at the Port of Vancouver have employed subterfuge and deception in trying to move the project forward.
So it comes as little surprise that Tesoro Corp. and Savage Cos. have unleashed a strategy that flies against the ideas of transparency and clarity in promoting what would be the nation’s largest rail-to-marine oil terminal. The companies, acting together as Vancouver Energy, have submitted a revised application to state officials that contains thousands of changes and a plethora of new information related to the project.
In 2013, officials from the Port of Vancouver entered an agreement with Tesoro and Savage for the construction of a terminal that would bring a daily average of 15 million gallons of crude from the Bakken region by train up the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and through populated areas on its way to the port. There, the oil would be transferred to ships for transport down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. The process is undergoing review from state regulators, and the governor will give a final thumbs-up or thumbs-down.
On Tuesday, The Columbian used a train derailment on the Oregon side of the Columbia as occasion to restate our editorial opposition to the proposed terminal. And while the derailment and resulting fire highlighted the danger presented by oil-bearing trains, the actions of Tesoro and Savage are no less disturbing. Those actions represent a continuing attempt by the companies to obfuscate the process while demonstrating little concern for citizens.
The problem with vast alterations to the proposal is that they render hundreds of thousands of public comments obsolete. Jim Luce, a Vancouver resident who is opposed to the project and is a former chair of the state council that reviews such proposals, said: “From a personal perspective, having been in that position, I’m not very happy. This is a consummate dirty trick employed by Tesoro. If this was a football field, they’re not only playing outside the lines but outside the stadium.”
Luce urged the state Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council to reject the changes, which he said should have been submitted a year ago or more. But dirty tricks are nothing new in the wrangling over the proposal:
• Port officials initially approved the deal under a veil of secrecy that allowed for little public input. They later revealed only heavily redacted documents that belied their duties as publicly elected officials.
• The original lease agreement allowed for expansion of the terminal or the construction of a second terminal — details that were eventually released only as the result of a lawsuit.
• Tesoro and Savage officials have been unreliable regarding projections of how many jobs would be created. Initially, one Savage executive said it would result in 110 full-time jobs. That number has increased, and on at least one occasion officials have boasted that it would “generate more than 1,000 jobs.”
• Multiple mass-mailings from the companies have grossly misstated the amount of tax revenue that would be generated or other facts about the project. One mailer was criticized as deceptive by two organizations that were cited in it.
The danger presented by oil trains should be enough for citizens to oppose the proposal, but the actions of Tesoro and Savage should strengthen that opposition. Their latest dirty trick again calls into question their suitability as partners in our communities.
