Farms and Fish at Stake in Port Westward Fuel Refinery Proposal: Tell DEQ to Reject NEXT
by Dan Serres, Advocacy Director
Kate Murphy, Columbia Riverkeeper’s Senior Community Organizer, described the potential impact of a major fuel spill into the Columbia River Estuary as “unthinkable,” and people all over the Northwest are seeking answers for how to protect the River from this risk.
Unbelievably, at the same time, DEQ is proposing to make the problem worse by approving a proposal by a Houston-based company to build massive refinery and rail yard on unstable soil, behind tenuous dikes, near homes, farms, a Buddhist monastery and essential fish habitat in the middle of the Columbia River Estuary.
Farmers at Port Westward, the site of the proposed refinery, have some basic advice for DEQ: reject the project.
NEXT’s refinery would produce, store, and handle millions of gallons of toxic, flammable, spillable fuel next to the River in an unstable, flood-prone setting—a problem similar to the one communities are grappling with upstream in communities like St. John’s and Linnton.
On a routine basis, NEXT’s toxic runoff would pollute water that farmers use to irrigate high-value crops, water that ultimately flows into the Columbia River and its side channels. Meanwhile, the construction and operation of the project would impact drainage and flood control systems that are carefully managed by the local community.
Here’s the kicker: according to the company’s own study, the project will adversely affect essential fish habitat because of toxic runoff. In their regular course of business, Houston-based NEXT will likely harm or kill fish in the Columbia River Estuary.
DEQ should deny the Clean Water Act Section 401 permit for NEXT because the proposal would degrade Oregon’s waters and violate water quality standards.
Take Action:
- Join us to speak up for the Estuary, and to speak out against NEXT, at a virtual public hearing on October 8, 2024 at 6 p.m.
- Join virtually via Zoom Webinar: https://ordeq.org/NEXT-401WQC-hearing
- Join virtually via Zoom Webinar: https://ordeq.org/NEXT-401WQC-hearing
- Use this link to sign a short petition comment urging DEQ to deny the NEXT refinery and rail yard.
NEXT could become the next Superfund site on the River, and a major spill risk on the Columbia unless DEQ puts a stop to this bad idea by rejecting the 401 permit.
A Disaster Waiting to Happen?
We’ve seen enough warning signs to know that a refinery, tank farm, and rail yard at Port Westward would be a disaster waiting to happen. Last year a barge loaded with rock veered off course and smashed the dock that the refinery would use at Port Westward, causing millions of dollars in damage. A major diesel spill into the Estuary was narrowly averted thanks to good work by DEQ and others. NEXT would increase this risk; DEQ should take the hint and deny NEXT.
The Texas company proposing the refinery recently stopped paying full rent to the local Port, which is now under significant financial strain. Meanwhile, local farmers are struggling to plan for a future that could be severely altered by a massive refinery.
Finally, the whole proposal depends on a rail yard that is not allowed under Oregon land use rules. The case is currently being litigated by Crag Law Center on behalf of Columbia Riverkeeper, 1000 Friends of Oregon, and local farmers (who won a very similar land use case already.)
The proposal should be dead on arrival. It’s a guaranteed fish kill.
DEQ should deny NEXT, now.
