As a Native American whose ancestors lived along the Columbia River for many generations, I am writing to oppose the Tesoro-Savage oil terminal that is proposed for the Port of Vancouver, and the Kalama methanol refinery proposal. Both of these will permanently damage the waters and the air of the Columbia River, the lifeblood of our Pacific Northwest.
Both proposals claim they are safe and will not harm the wildlife that depends on the river for survival, but even before completion of the oil terminal, the accident at Mosier, Ore., where the ground water was contaminated by the oil spill, proves that transferring oil near a large body of water is never safe, and to process huge amounts of methanol with a new, unproven method is a terrible risk to take in our very vulnerable area.
The contamination of the air at the Kalama project, which is close to my home, would change forever the health of those who are exposed to such toxic pollution.
For our elected officials to even consider taking such huge risks is pathetic. We all deserve much better and need to protect our precious region for the generations to come.
