Washington Governor Rejects Oil Terminal

By Karen Robes Meeks

The site certification application for the Vancouver Energy project at the Port of Vancouver USA was rejected Monday by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.

Inslee concurred with the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council’s (EFSEC) earlier recommendation to reject the application.

“After considering all of the evidence in the record, the Council found that the risks of siting the proposed project at the Port of Vancouver exceeded the project’s potential benefits and determined that the application is not in the public interest,” Inslee wrote in a letter to EFSEC Chair Kathleen Drew.

After the council rejected the application, the port was not surprised by the governor’s decision, said port CEO Julianna Marler. “Our mission continues to be providing economic benefit to our community through leadership, stewardship and partnership in marine, industrial and waterfront development,” she said. “We appreciate the Governor’s recognition of our important role in regional trade and we will continue to fulfill that role.”

The project—a joint venture between Andeavor, formerly Tesory Corp. and Savage Companies—would involve building and operating a terminal that could take up to 360,000 barrels of crude oil delivered daily by rail and store it before transferring it onto vessels bound for West Coast refineries, where it would become transportation fuel and other byproducts for US consumers.

Vancouver USA Settles Document Lawsuit

By Mark Edward Nero

The Port of Vancouver USA on Aug. 5 settled a lawsuit that contended a version of a Vancouver Energy lease provided by the port in response to a public records request was excessively redacted.

As part of the settlement agreement, the port lifted all but three redactions on the lease document and paid $45,000 to limit further legal costs.

Vancouver Energy is a partnership between oil refiner Tesoro Corp. and transport firm Savage Companies. In April 2013, the companies announced a plan to build a major terminal for receiving oil by rail and transferring it to ships, which would take it to West Coast refineries.

The Clark County Natural Resources Council filed the lawsuit after it received a heavily redacted document from the port in response to a May 2014 public records request.

Under the settlement, the plaintiff has agreed to waive all statutory penalties and will dismiss their claim with prejudice, meaning the claim can’t be resurrected against the port in the future.

In a statement, the port said it provided the redacted copy in May 2014 “to protect information that, if made public, ran a high risk of harming the port’s ability to compete and generate economic benefit for the community.”

“It’s now been two years since the Vancouver Energy lease was first approved,” port CEO Todd Coleman said. “We’re now at a point where we feel releasing this information is important for transparency, and poses little risk to the port’s ability to remain competitive.”

The 429-page Vancouver Energy lease can be seen at http://www.portvanusa.com/assets/TSJV-Lease-10232013-RevRedactions-073015.pdf

POLB Issues Environmental Awards

By Mark Edward Nero

Shipping lines, environmental organizations, trucking companies, terminal operators and a railroad were honored July 29 by the Port of Long Beach during the port’s annual Environmental Achievement Awards. The awards are an outgrowth of the port’s Green Port Policy, a series of environmental initiatives.

During the event, Long Beach Mayor Garcia introduced the “Mayor’s Green Port Award,” which was presented to terminal operator Long Beach Container Terminal for its commitment to working with the port to implement clean technologies and to create the world’s most advanced container shipping terminal.

The port also gave out seven “Environmental Excellence” honors to companies and groups for going above and beyond the past decade in helping the port achieve its ambitious environmental goals. The awardees are:

• Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC), for its performance in the port’s Green Flag Vessel Speed Reduction Program, which since 2005 has asked vessel operators to slow down to 12 knots near the port in order to reduce air pollution.

• Tesoro for top performance in the port’s Green Ship Program, which since 2012 has encouraged shipping lines to dispatch their cleanest ships to Long Beach.

• An environmental coalition including the Natural Resources Defense Council, Coalition for Clean Air, East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice and Communities for Clean Ports/EndOil, for highlighting environmental issues and “bringing about meaningful change.”

• The SSAT/Matson terminal for its consistently high performance in the port’s stormwater runoff control program, which seeks to improve and safeguard water and sediment quality in the harbor.

• Ability Tri-Modal trucking company for leadership in the port’s Clean Trucks Program, which has slashed diesel pollution from trucks by 90 percent since 2008.

• Trucking company Total Transportation Services, also for leadership in the Clean Trucks Program and in technology advancement.

• Pacific Harbor Line, the port’s short line railroad, for its pursuit of cleaner locomotives to move freight in the harbor complex.

In addition, nine vessel operators overall were honored at the event as top performers in the port’s Green Flag Vessel Speed Reduction Program.

Winners who slowed down within 20 nautical miles were: Carnival Cruise Lines, CMA CGM, Hanjin Shipping Co., Matson, Inc. and Alaska Tanker Co. Alaska Tanker received special honors for 100 percent compliance from 20 miles since 2006.

In the 40-nautical-mile category, the winners were COSCO, “K” Line, MOL and Mediterranean Shipping Co. Also, over 150 vessel operators earned the Green Flag for their participation in the program in 2014.

Vancouver Council Opposes Port Crude Oil Facility

By Mark Edward Nero

At its June 2 meeting, the Vancouver, Washington City Council approved a resolution opposing a proposed crude oil handling facility despite urging port leaders to let the project make its way through the environmental review process before taking a vote of any kind on it.

The project in question, the Vancouver Energy Distribution Terminal, is a joint venture between the port’s longtime tenant Tesoro and logistics company Savage.

The two would bring North American crude oil by rail to the port where it would then be loaded onto marine vessels and shipped to US West Coast refineries in Alaska, Washington and California.

The port’s Board of Commissioners approved a 10-year lease Oct. 22, 2013.

The Council’s five-to-two vote against the project followed seven hours of testimony offered by more than 100 people, including both project supporters and opponents, about 38 of whom were industry representatives.

Testimonies by port representatives focused on the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council review currently underway and asked the Council to allow that process to complete its work, which includes determining what needs to happen to ensure that the facility can operate safely.

Port CEO Todd Coleman said the city’s resolution ignores that crude oil trains are already traveling through the community and “asks us to overlook the realities of crude oil transport and pretend that by ‘just saying no’ we can make it all go away.”

Coleman also said “a more productive approach would be for all of us to work collectively to ensure the safe transit of these types of commodities, putting appropriate regulations and robust government oversight in place to protect our communities and the environment.”