"a bi-monthly journal of environmental news and commentary..."

Fossil Fuel Resistance - Update on Port of Olympia Activities

By Robert Whitlock

In March, the Port began the process of updating its State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) policies. Black Hills Audubon Society presented to Port Commissioners a series of comments. Recommendations included making SEPA more user friendly, and not financially prohibitive. The Port approach to addressing the impact of climate change was to closely match the policy guidelines by the Washington State Department of Ecology. Port Commissioner Sue Gunn attempted to revise the policy to go beyond the protections currently afforded by state policy - namely to adopt a cradle to grave analysis of direct, indirect and cumulative impacts of activities undertaken by Port operations as they relate to climate change. She did not get a second vote in the March 2014 meeting.

Strategic Planning

A new effort spearheaded by Commissioner Gunn to create a new strategic plan will begin in 2015. Along with evaluating current operations, the process will explore new business opportunities. Gunn would like to move the Port into incubating the agricultural sector of Thurston County's economy. The plan will be a community-based process to revisit the Port's mission, create a vision and set core values that will guide Port activities for the next 10 years.

Gunn also wants to see if the Port can engage in conservation/mitigation projects along the waterfront and promote greater access and more recreational capacity. A good strategic planning process will heavily involve the community, set lofty goals and be inspirational. According to Gunn, it's been 20 years since the Port has fully engaged the community and many things in the world around us have changed dramatically.

Oil Trains and Terminals

Commissioners Gunn and George Barner signed a resolution to encourage the Port of Grays Harbor to reconsider their decision to build proposed oil terminal and the City of Hoquiam to deny permits for construction of that terminal. The goal of the resolution was to insure the shipping of crude oil by rail be completely safe and pose no risk to people in communities and the environment at or near the railway and proposed terminals. A series of derailments over the past year have occurred on the short line railroad that serves Grays Harbor. The risk of a derailment, or worse, a marine shipping accident could have devastating consequences for the estuarine environment of Grays Harbor.

In an unusual move that may have exceeded its legal authority, the Washington Public Ports Association wrote a letter of censure against Port of Olympia Commissioners Gunn and Barner. The two Olympia Commissioners responded with their own letter.

Warehouse for Fracking Sand

Earlier this year Gunn and Barner voted to delay the construction of a multi-million dollar warehouse to hold an increased volume of fracking sand until the Port completes a master plan for the marine terminal and an associated EIS. This process will likely take a year and will evaluate the Port's ability to expand its operations at the terminal and determine what that impact of the proposed operations will be on the environment...and the adjacent community. This process will involve public outreach and comment.

Robert F. W. Whitlock is a human being residing in Olympia, Washington.

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