As the state Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council considers approval of a proposed oil terminal at the Port of Vancouver, The Columbian’s Other Opinions page has taken a look at the plan from several angles. Here, we present opposing viewpoints about the terminal’s impact on Vancouver and surrounding communities.
Moeller: Building of terminal would limit Vancouver’s future opportunities
In an economy where jobs matter, the Vancouver Energy project at the Port of Vancouver will create hundreds of family-wage jobs that can support entire families. Also, providing critical infrastructure for U.S. energy independence lies partly in our hands. For those reasons and many more, the Vancouver Energy project should be approved.
Much of the media coverage about the terminal has focused on concerns about rail safety. The majority of oil trains feeding Northwest refineries already travel through Vancouver, and have been doing so safely for many years. Instead of talking about banning trains through our cities, let’s make every effort to ensure we have “best in class” rail facilities and safety measures. The Vancouver Energy project will ensure that the city, port and surrounding area benefit by stimulating our local economy.
The immediate interest of my company, JH Kelly, in the Vancouver Energy terminal stems from the estimated 320 direct jobs it would generate during construction. These would be family-wage jobs for local Vancouver Building Trades members. Building the terminal will provide an economic boom to the region that includes 1,429 direct and indirect jobs and $86.8 million in labor income.
And that’s just during construction. During the 18-month construction period and first 15 years of operations, Vancouver Energy will contribute close to $2 billion to the Clark County economy, including taxes, income and other revenue.
Clean safety record
Family-owned JH Kelly is one of a number of industrial general contractors that will bid to build the Vancouver Energy terminal should Gov. Jay Inslee approve it.
Tesoro has been safely operating another petroleum products rail terminal at the Port of Vancouver for 30 years. JH Kelly performed the civil, structural, mechanical and electrical work on that facility. In nearly 30 years of operating that facility, not a single reportable spill or accident has occurred.
We know from working with Tesoro that the company is committed to safety and environmental protection. Tesoro was the first in the industry to phase out all older legacy rail cars from its fleet and replace them with upgraded cars, which offer significant safety advantages. Vancouver Energy is also committed to ensuring that only newer-model rail cars have access to the facility. Of the up to $210 million Vancouver Energy plans to spend to build the facility, $45 million will be devoted to environmental protection and health and safety measures.
Our country is heavily dependent on foreign sources for oil, including unstable countries such as Iraq. In fact, more than half the crude oil supply on the West Coast comes from foreign countries.
The Vancouver Energy terminal will be a game-changer, replacing about 30 percent of foreign crude imports on the West Coast with North American oil. This in turn provides a stable supply for refineries to make gasoline for automobiles, diesel for trucks, jet fuel for airplanes, and other vital products.
The Port of Vancouver is the ideal location as the closest port by rail to the Midwest oil fields. The port and local communities recently invested in infrastructure to bring this exact kind of economic driver to town, including $190 million for the Columbia River channel deepening project and $275 million for the West Vancouver Freight Access/Rail Improvement project.
Think about the young lives lost protecting America’s energy interests in the Middle East. How many more need to die before we come to our senses and realize the U.S. can be energy independent if we support smart projects like Vancouver Energy?
Rob Harris is a vice president for JH Kelly, an industrial mechanical contractor with offices in Vancouver and Longview.
