Vote on Vancouver crude-by-rail project

The state of Washington today could help decide the fate of a crude-by-rail export terminal proposed for the city of Vancouver.

The Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council will hold a public meeting and vote on Tesoro-Savage LLC’s proposed Vancouver Energy terminal.

The council last week released its final environmental review of the project, under study since 2013, which found a potential danger from spills, accidents involving trains, and other factors affecting emergency response times.

Vancouver Energy is a joint venture of Tesoro Corp. and Savage Cos. Tesoro, a port tenant since 1985, and Savage have proposed leasing 42 acres at the port for a crude oil distribution facility that would include a rail unloading facility, storage tanks, and a vessel loading area. The $210 million project would bring up to 360,000 barrels of North American crude oil by rail along the Columbia River to the port daily, where it would then be loaded onto ships for transport to refineries in Alaska, California and Washington.

The port is transited by BNSF Railway, Union Pacific Railroad, Canadian National Railroad and Canadian Pacific Railroad.

Tesoro-Savage has agreed to a 10-year lease, and expects to create 175 permanent jobs on site, with 1,000 jobs total surrounding the project.

The panel is scheduled to vote today for or against the proposal at a special meeting in Olympia.

No comments will be taken at the meeting, which is open to the public. After the vote, the council will adjourn to an executive session to discuss possible litigation.

Gov. Jay Inslee will make the final decision on the project following the council’s recommendation.