Renewal will allow EFSEC permit process to continue
VANCOUVER — Southwest Washington labor and community leaders said today’s decision by the Port of Vancouver Commissioners to continue the lease for the proposed Vancouver Energy project was the right call and will allow the public review process to continue. After a lengthy hearing today, commissioners voted to continue Vancouver Energy’s lease with the port.
“We have to have a reliable review process in this state,” said Mike Bridges, president of the Longview Kelso Building Trades and a member of IBEW Local 48. “This is the process our state has committed to and other future businesses are paying attention to. Today’s hearing means we can honor that commitment and continue in that direction.”
The proposed terminal at the Port of Vancouver USA is a transfer facility that would receive, but not process or refine, crude oil by rail and load it onto ships bound for refineries in Washington and along the West Coast. It is a joint effort between Tesoro Refining and Marketing Company LLC and Savage Companies, and could potentially decrease the West Coast’s dependence on foreign oil by as much as 30 percent.
“We’ve made a commitment to this process, and we have to honor that commitment,” said former Port of Vancouver Commissioner Nancy Baker during testimony.