Excerpts from Oregon Public Broadcasting:
The $210 million Vancouver Energy project, a joint venture from Tesoro and Savage, would have brought up to 360,000 gallons of crude oil a day on trains traveling along the Columbia River. The proposal would have been the largest oil-by-rail terminal in the country.
ILWU Local 4 member Jared Smith works as a crane operator at the water’s edge, loading and unloading ships as they head through the port back down the West Coast.
When he first heard about Vancouver Energy’s proposal, he immediately worried about his colleagues at the port.
He knew if there was a derailment or an accident at the terminal, they would be the ones closest to harm.
“We’re always in favor of good paying jobs that are benefiting the community, but with this, the risk was so high,” Smith said.
The union became more vocal in their opposition to the project after a 2013 oil train derailment in Quebec, Canada, which killed 47 people and destroyed much of the downtown neighborhood.
“After Lac-Megantic happened, it took on a whole new level of meaning for us,” said Smith, referencing the town in Quebec.