Gov. Jay Inslee today rejected the site certification application for the Vancouver Energy project at the Port of Vancouver USA, according to a news release from the Port of Vancouver.
“After considering the record in this proceeding, I concur with the Council’s unanimous recommendation to reject the application,” Inslee wrote in a letter to Energy Site Evaluation Council Chair Kathleen Drew. “After considering all of the evidence in the record, the Council found that the risks of siting the proposed project at the Port of Vancouver exceeded the project’s potential benefits and determined that the application is not in the public interest.”
“Based on EFSEC’s recommendation, we aren’t surprised by the governor’s decision to reject the Vancouver Energy project,” said Port of Vancouver CEO Julianna Marler, according to the news release. “Our mission continues to be providing economic benefit to our community through leadership, stewardship and partnership in marine, industrial and waterfront development. We appreciate the governor’s recognition of our important role in regional trade and we will continue to fulfill that role.”
Read Gov. Inslee’s letter in its entirety here.
The Vancouver Energy project is a joint venture between Andeavor (formerly Tesoro Corp.) and Savage Companies. The project proposes to bring up to 360,000 barrels of North American crude oil by rail to the port daily, where it would be loaded into U.S.-built, U.S.-flagged, and U.S.-staffed marine vessels for shipment to refineries in Alaska, California and Washington. The project has been under review by the Energy Site Evaluation Council since August 2013.
