There’s no public comment time available for the most terrible threat to our community — the Vancouver Energy rail-to-marine oil terminal proposed for the Port of Vancouver. Two stubborn port officials will not break the lease with Vancouver Energy (Tesoro Corp. and Savage Cos.), for whatever reasons.
Closed door meetings, seven extensions granted by the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council and the recent try to extend the lease for three more years by one port commissioner makes you wonder why this terrible, potentially dangerous environmental disaster is still looming on our new waterfront park development and to many at their doorsteps.
Vancouver will be the town with the largest rail-to-marine terminal in the U.S., with oil trains coming down our already injured Gorge every day. Is this something that we should or could be proud of?
We also will become a stinking city. Remember the stink and stench that we’ve smelled on Hayden Island when driving to Portland for the last 20 years? Let’s pray that wisdom and sanity will prevail and that “no” is the final answer to this nightmarish idea.
