OFCO Comments on Proposed Oil Terminals

by Peggy Bruton

[To City of Hoquiam and Washington State Dept. of Ecology]

The Olympic Forest Coalition (OFCO) promotes the protection, conservation and restoration of natural forest ecosystems and their processes on the Olympic Peninsula. We are vitally interested in maintaining habitat for at-risk species, such as the Marbled Murrelet. The proposed projects would present grave and unacceptable hazards for these creatures, as well as for the larger ecosystem we seek to protect.

The health of the forests of the Olympic Peninsula cannot be considered apart from that of its waterways and the adjacent marine waters. It is important to note that all of the proposed terminals would be loading crude onto Panamax ships or barges and traveling either up the coast to Anacortes or down to California; this means vulnerability to marine spills—even if the current ban on exports of domestic oil remains in place. Vessel traffic in Grays Harbor will increase by almost 75%. (Should the ban be lifted—as it well may be, in response to mounting pressures from the industry—increased traffic would be even more problematic.) Even now, if we receive Alberta tar sands crude oil, it can be exported to other countries, as long as it is not intermixed with domestic product.

Safety precautions notwithstanding, spills and accidents continue to happen, and can be expected to happen with greater frequency and severity as the volume of shipping increases.

The projects potentially would be devastating for the Marbled Murrelet, since the Grays Harbor Bar is very, very dangerous and the risk of a catastrophic spill would be considerable. One big oil spill and all the seabirds, especially the Marbled Murrelet could be wiped out for miles north and south of Grays Harbor.

We also would join the chorus of voices warning that the enlarged carbon footprint as a result of this proposed traffic only can worsen global climate chaos and hasten the day when human civilization no longer can be sustained on the planet.

Thank you for your attention to our comments.

Peggy Bruton, Board Member, OFCO