Spokane gains role in state oil train discussion

Spokane’s “voice will be heard” during this year’s discussion over the proposal to build a crude oil facility in Vancouver, Washington, which would greatly increase the amount of crude oil running on the rail lines through downtown Spokane. The state’s Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council said Thursday that the city – as well as a number of environmental, tribal and governmental entities – was granted intervention status, meaning the city will be part of the formal hearings regarding the facility. “To me, it means we at least get a voice and we’re treated as a partner,” said Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart. “Our voice will be heard.” The Spokane Riverkeeper was also given intervenor status. Later this year, the state will hold hearings on the terminal proposed by Tesoro Corp., a petroleum refiner, and Savage Companies, a transportation company. If the facility is built, it will handle up to 360,000 barrels of crude oil a day, all of which would roll through Spokane on BNSF trains on its way to Vancouver from the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota. The Tesoro-Savage facility would transfer the oil from trains to ships. So far, more than 30,000 people have commented on the project, and the project has been delayed a number of times. A recommendation on the project will be made to Gov. Jay Inslee by Nov. 1, and he will have 60 days to approve or reject the proposal. Currently, the state is preparing a draft environmental impact statement for the project, which will be subject to public comment. “They’re aiming for May,” said Amanda Maxwell, a spokeswoman with the state’s council, about the draft statement. Maxwell said that the recommendation to Inslee is “still subject to postponement.” Maxwell said the hearings have yet to be set, but there’s a possibility one will be held in Spokane. “That will be up to the council where the meetings will take place,” she said, noting that state officials held a oil train meeting in Spokane in late 2013. Spokane’s official role in the state’s official oil train discussions follows Wednesday’s announcement that U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, introduced legislation to immediately ban unsafe train cars from carrying crude oil. “Every new derailment increases the urgency with which we need to act,” Cantwell said in a statement. “Communities in Washington state and across the nation see hundreds of these oil tank cars pass through each week. This legislation will help reduce the risk of explosion in accidents, take unsafe tank cars off the tracks, and ensure first responders have the equipment they need.” Cantwell is the ranking Democratic member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Stuckart said both oil train developments gave him hope. “It keeps the issue at the forefront,” he said.