Vancouver bans oil terminals!

Portland’s neighbors in Vancouver, WA have taken a bold stance against oil terminals. The City Council voted unanimously 7-0 to prohibit crude oil storage, handling, and refining facilities in Vancouver’s industrial zones. Council chambers were packed full, and an overflow room opened to accommodate the crowd of 150 supporters whom stayed into the late evening to participate in this historic vote. Columbia Riverkeeper, a local non-profit, has been central to the organizing efforts to pass this important ordinance. Read a full report-back from them about the event.

The ordinance recommends code amendments to make permanent the current, temporary moratorium on building or expanding crude oil storage facilities, which expires in August, 2016.

The ordinance is inspired by the Fossil Fuel Resolution passed by the City of Portland in November, 2015, and follows the trend of cities taking the lead on address not only the local safety and health concerns of fossil fuel extraction, transportation, and refining, but also the climate impacts.

Though the ordinance does not directly regulate the current proposals on the table by Tesoro-Savage and NuStar Energy, it sends a clear message that this type of infrastructure is unwelcome in Vancouver, and is designed to restrict future proposals that are similar.

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Rally and Hearing – Photo Gallery