Vancouver, Washington, extends moratorium on crude oil facilities

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Vancouver extends moratorium on crude oil facilities

By Amy M.E. Fischer, Columbian City government reporter
Published: March 2, 2015, 10:18 PM

The Vancouver City Council on Monday unanimously voted to extend a moratorium on expanding or establishing crude oil-handling facilities, prompting the audience to break into applause.

Moments earlier, roughly a dozen people took the microphone to praise the council's stance against oil terminals in Vancouver and voice support for continuation of the six-month moratorium adopted Sept. 11. No one spoke against the extension.
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The original moratorium was due to expire March 10. By continuing the moratorium for six months, city staff will have time to prepare a comprehensive review of current and potential new regulations to city code. Among other things, the staff's work will involve determining which agencies have authority over crude oil, identifying interested parties and their issues, and researching actions other municipalities have taken, according to city documents.

The moratorium doesn't affect the massive oil transfer terminal proposed by Tesoro Corp. and Savage Companies that's currently under review by the state. It would be the largest such terminal in the United States when operational, receiving an average of 360,000 barrels of crude oil per day by rail at the Port of Vancouver. The state Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council will make a recommendation to Gov. Jay Inslee regarding the Tesoro project, which the Vancouver City Council formally opposes.