Fuel corporations at the Port of Columbia County should foot the bill for infrastructure upgrades.
By Audrey Leonard, Staff Attorney
Earlier this year, the Port of Columbia County (“the Port”) applied for the Connect Oregon grant, a program that uses public money to fund transportation projects in Oregon that benefit the public. But instead of benefiting the public, the Port would use Oregon’s scarce transportation funds to subsidize fossil fuel infrastructure for the exclusive benefit of two corporations—Global Partners and NEXT Energy.
The Port is asking for over $2.3 million in public funds to finance its compliance with Oregon’s Seismic Resiliency requirements, which are standards of safety that apply to owners of large fuel storage and distribution facilities. While Columbia Riverkeeper supports these new seismic rules, we cannot support allocating public funds in ways that would only benefit one or two large fuel-exporting corporations.
Oregon’s seismic resiliency standards are based on the “Polluter Pays Principle,” the idea that companies who profit from hazardous facilities (like NEXT’s proposed refinery) should cover the costs of keeping the public and the environment safe. If the Port is awarded the Connect Oregon Grant, it would undermine this principle and divert public funds away from genuinely beneficial transportation initiatives.
All other businesses affected by these new requirements have had to foot the bill for their compliance efforts, yet the Port and its tenants are trying to pass on these expenses to the public through the Connect Oregon Grant.
If fuel-exporting corporations want to continue utilizing the Port of Columbia County, they should bear the cost of upgrading their infrastructure.
The Port’s proposal will solely benefit fuel shipping projects. NEXT Renewable Fuels, Inc. wants to build one of the largest non-conventional diesel refineries in the country in the middle of the Columbia River Estuary at Port Westward. If built, the NEXT refinery will result in over one million tons of local greenhouse gas emissions per year, destroy over 100 acres of wetlands, harm local farms, and increase the risk of fuel spills into the Columbia River Estuary. Heightened vessel traffic in the Estuary also threatens salmon habitat and recovery efforts.
However, the future of the NEXT refinery is uncertain. Last November, NEXT acknowledged that a proposed merger, which was supposed to generate $176 million, had fallen through. The following month, NEXT unilaterally stopped paying rent to the Port as required by the lease agreement. On top of all of this, NEXT and its backers have a history of making empty promises and blatantly false statements to local communities, regulators, and investors. Pouring public money into “modernizing” Beaver Dock for NEXT’s use is a speculative, unwise investment.
Projects better suited for this grant exist, and Columbia Riverkeeper plans to push back against the Port’s attempt to misuse public funds for fossil fuel infrastructure under the guise of “modernizing” the Beaver Dock at Port Westward.
Connect Oregon is currently taking public comments on grant applications until August 15th. Submit your comments or attend the virtual public hearing on August 15th to let the Oregon Transportation Commission know that the public does not support the Port’s proposal.
