Crude oil train traffic through the Columbia River Gorge could grow.
BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
Crude oil train traffic through the Columbia River Gorge could grow.
The number of trains could nearly double if the state of Washington approves a terminal in Vancouver.
“If someone were to propose a pipeline this size, you’d say it was nuts,” says Dan Serres, conservation director with Columbia Riverkeeper. “It’s an absolutely enormous threat to salmon habitat, to drinking water supplies, to all the communities along the Columbia River.”
The Tesoro terminal, called Vancouver Energy, needs approval from Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a strong environmentalist. A Washington state energy council will begin public hearings on the project next month.
(READ MORE: Willamette Week)
Currently, about 1,450 railcars pass through the Gorge every day.
