Four hundred people, including labor leaders, neighborhood groups, a local fire battalion chief, a local pastor, parents, conservationists, and public health advocates sent a clear message to the Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) and Governor Jay Inslee at the October 29th public hearing. They called upon the EFSEC to evaluate the public safety, climate, human health, economic, and environmental risks of a huge oil terminal proposed at the Port of Vancouver.
Click to see photos from the rally & hearing
David Seabrook, a local Vancouver fire battalion chief, addressed safety concerns with the project: “I was shocked to learn about the Port of Vancouver’s decision to move forward with the oil terminal so soon after the disaster in Lac-Megantic, Quebec.”
In July, before EFSEC began its review, a derailment, explosion, and fire from a train carrying similar Bakken crude oil proposed to come to the Port of Vancouver killed 47 people in Lac-Megantic, Quebec.
Cager Clabaugh, President of Local 4 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), framed the issue even more bluntly: "The risk is not worth the reward, plain and simple. We don't want it."
Tesoro Savage is seeking approval from EFSEC and the Governor to build a new marine terminal at the Port of Vancouver to receive up to 360,000 barrels of oil or other “petroleum products” every day by trains, and then ship the oil in supertankers down the Columbia River.
“An oil spill from a supertanker or oil train would devastate the Columbia River,” added Brett VandenHeuvel, Executive Director for Columbia Riverkeeper. “Our region deserves a vigorous debate about the pollution from this project, and a full accounting of the risks and impacts.”
Other local Vancouver residents spoke out as well. “We’re very concerned about the impacts of an oil terminal on that site. It doesn’t make sense to site a huge oil terminal in such a sensitive area, bringing huge oil trains right through town,” stated Lehman Holder, with the Loo Witt Group of the Sierra Club.
The scale of oil transport is unprecedented: 360,000 barrels per day by rail is 42% of the capacity of the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline – one of the most controversial fossil fuel projects in North America.
Corinne Ball, Campaign Director for Climate Parents, pointed to the broader implications of the proposed massive oil terminal. “Families are standing up against projects that we know have detrimental effects to our health and our communities. We demand kid-safe, climate-safe solutions now.”
The hearing was dominated by concerns from Vancouver residents opposed to the project. After almost three hours of testimony, not a single person testified in favor of the project.
Due to the enormous scale of the oil terminal proposal, state law requires Governor Inslee to make the final permitting decision, after the Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) reviews the application.
See more photos from the rally, by Alex Milan Tracy
