Oil-by-Rail: Demanding Oregon Take a Second Look

Demanding Oregon Take a Second Look

On August 28, Columbia Riverkeeper joined the Northwest Environmental Defense Center (NEDC) and Neighbors for Clean Air in filing a legal petition urging the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to reconsider its June 2020 decision to approve an air pollution permit for the Global Partners facility located near Clatskanie, Oregon

In June, we were profoundly frustrated when Oregon DEQ rushed to approve a key permit allowing up to two oil trains per day to travel through Portland, Vancouver, and Columbia County communities to the Global Partners terminal. During the public comment period, over 1,200 Columbia Riverkeeper members and supporters urged DEQ to reject dangerous oil trains through our communities. Columbia Riverkeeper, together with a coalition of organizations, filed detailed comments that highlighted the importance of ratcheting back potential pollution from oil train traffic. Yet DEQ sided with oil company Global Partners in dismissing the concerns of the public and the coalition, and the agency granted Global Partners a permit with glaring flaws and errors.

We couldn’t let this drop quietly. Riverkeeper’s request for reconsideration gives DEQ another chance to listen to our concerns and to protect Oregon communities from the risks and pollution generated by potential oil train shipments to Global Partners’ facility.

You can read the petition for reconsideration here