I am writing to encourage Governor Inslee to deny approval for the Port of Vancouver oil terminal. With the oil train explosion at Mosier, Ore., and now the coal train derailment near Wintler Park, the dangers are clear and present. To increase the volume of oil trains to the planned capacity for the Port of Vancouver could quite literally be adding fuel to the fire.
We are a state that values our environment. We value the beauty of the Columbia River Gorge. We share this treasure with our neighboring state. Our decisions affect our neighbor. If there is a spill in the Columbia River, the damage will be long-lasting.
Jobs are touted as a reason to approve this oil terminal. But jobs can come from other sources at the port. The port should explore other tenant possibilities that don’t pose the potential threat that this huge amount of oil does. The potential for loss of life will be with us on a daily basis. I think about it every time I drive on state Highway 14.
And when there is an accident, if the river is fouled, many jobs will impacted or lost altogether. Tourism dollars will vanish.
In my view, the cons by far outweigh the pros. Provide jobs, yes. But provide jobs that do not carry the obvious and threatening dangers of the proposed oil terminal at the Port of Vancouver.
