Oil terminal backers pour cash into port race in Washington
SEATTLE — Developers of a proposed oil-by-rail terminal that would be the largest in the U.S. have poured big money into a port commissioner race in Washington state that might shape the project’s future.
Backers of the Vancouver Energy project have given $370,000 US in cash to support Kris Greene, who has expressed support for the terminal proposed at the Port of Vancouver, according to filings with the Washington Public Disclosure Commission.
That represents the bulk of the cash he has raised in the Vancouver port commissioner’s race.
His opponent, Don Orange, is against the proposed $210-million US terminal that would handle about 360,000 barrels of crude oil a day. Orange said he would work to end the project’s lease at the port.
The terminal has been the subject of heated debate in the U.S. Northwest. Project developers see it as an opportunity to link domestic crude oil from the U.S. Midwest to a West Coast port and bring jobs and money to the region.
Critics say it poses too great a risk to people and the environment, and the dangers extend well beyond the facility to include communities along rail lines.
Tesoro Corp. and Savage Cos., operating as Vancouver Energy, have a 10-year lease at the deepwater port about 160 river kilometres from the Pacific Ocean. The proposed terminal would receive an average of four 2.4-km-long crude oil trains a day. Oil would be stored on site then loaded onto tankers and ships bound for West Coast refineries.
Vancouver Energy said it supports Greene as the candidate with the right experience to lead the port.
A state energy panel is reviewing the project. It will make a recommendation to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who will have the final say.
The lease between Vancouver Energy and the port allows for changes by either party every 90 days, port spokeswoman Abbi Russell said.
Orange has raised $98,000 in cash, but has also benefited from $297,000 in in-kind contributions, the bulk of which has come from the Washington Conservation Voters Action Fund for voter outreach and staff time.
Greene has received $408,000 in cash and benefited from about $181,000 in in-kind contributions, some from Enterprise Washington Jobs, a political action committee whose top donors include Tesoro and BNSF Railway.