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Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard, Weighs in on Oil

Founder of Patagonia Sends Letter to Vancouver Port Commissioner, Calls for Civic and Business Leaders to Oppose Tesoro Oil Project

In a personal letter to Port of Vancouver Commissioner Brian Wolf, the founder of one of the world’s biggest outdoor clothing and gear company, Patagonia, urged Wolf to oppose the massive Tesoro Savage oil terminal. In his letter, Yvon Chouinard calls on civic and economic leaders to use their influence to protect the Columbia River from polluting, dangerous, crude-by-rail shipments. The Port of Vancouver signed a lease with Tesoro in 2013, but has the authority to get out of the lease. If the Port retains the lease, the decision on whether to build North America’s largest oil-by-rail terminal moves to Washington state’s Governor Inslee. A local Patagonia representative presented Chouinard's letter at the Tuesday, February, 22, 2016, Port meeting.

Chouinard wrote:

"(The Tesoro oil terminal) threatens one of the West's great rivers - the Columbia - deepening our addiction to oil at the expense of our rivers and surrounding environments. As the fourth largest river by volume in North America and critical habitat for salmon and steelhead, the Columbia River necessitates use of the precautionary principle. We have long passed the time when business and industry can evade responsibility for the impact they impose on our natural world..."

"Considering the welfare of your community inherently includes the welfare of the Columbia River and its surrounding environments. The Tesoro-Savage project will be the largest oil-by-rail proposal in the Pacific Northwest, shipping an estimated 360,000 barrels of crude oil each day by rail along the Columbia River. With a project this large, risks are high and imminent. With crude oil transport comes oil spills, air and water quality impacts, and public safety concerns. All of which have long lasting effects beyond short term profit gains..."

"As civic and economic leaders we have the opportunity to choose sustainable growth for our industries and communities. In the end, restraint and individual responsibility are our only assurances of a healthy, livable future..."

Please call Governor Inslee today and use your own voice to urge Governor Inslee to join thousands of Washingtonians and Yvon Chouinard in standing up to oil.

Take Action: Please call Governor Inslee’s citizen comment line and urge him to stand up to oil. Use this number so we can track how many calls are made: 855-863-4214.

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