By Dameon Pesanti

The Columbian

A group of elected officials who want federal regulators to do more about mitigating the risks local communities face from coal and oil transportation visited the site of June’s Mosier, Ore., oil train derailment Monday and met in Vancouver to discuss how to prevent future incidents.

“It’s my sincere hope (that by) informing our constituents and communicating with one voice to our national leaders we will be able to affect change,” said Dow Constantine, King County executive and chair of the Safe Energy Leadership Alliance.

The alliance is made up of 165 elected representatives from Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and California, as well as British Columbia and a handful of Native American tribes who advocate for greater federal scrutiny of how fossil fuel transport might affect public health, safety, traffic and treaty rights. The group also advocates for stronger state and federal legislation along rail and barge routes.

Since the group formed more than two years ago, both Washington and Oregon have enacted legislation aimed at improving crude-by-rail safety and keeping first responders better informed.

Although the group’s members have concerns about fossil fuel transport, they have few powers to regulate them. Washington and Oregon have been receptive to tightening crude-by-rail regulations; the federal government has been reluctant to follow suit during the administration of President Barack Obama. Now, with President-elect Donald Trump promising to slash regulations and offer tax cuts to the oil and gas industry, the prospects likely won’t improve.

“In the situation that we’ve had, it has been difficult enough to convince Congress to enact more protective measures in trying to make sure federal agencies consider all the impacts, not just local impacts, when considering coal or oil terminals,” Constantine said. “I can’t imagine this new administration is going to lessen our concerns around those issues.”

Constantine said the alliance is going to continue pushing environmental and public health and public safety along the rail lines, but the group also needs to advocate for the development of a clean energy supply and economy in the western United States.

“As local elected officials who are in charge of public health and safety, we’re also charged with economic development and making sure folks have good jobs,” he said. “That’s our way we want to broaden the conversation.”

During the meeting, the group recapped the Mosier oil spill and how new legislation in Washington and Oregon will be implemented. For example, last year, Washington lawmakers passed the Oil Transportation Safety Act, which requires advanced notice before oil movement, and contingency plans and drill requirements for railroads. It also established grants for first responders to store equipment along train routes.

They alliance also discussed plans for the next Washington state legislative sessions and were updated on the status of the Vancouver Energy oil terminal proposed for the Port of Vancouver and the Millennium Bulk coal terminal proposed in Longview.

Vancouver Mayor Pro Tem Anne McEnerny-Ogle attended the meeting and relayed to other members what the city’s government has done to prohibit crude oil storage after it learned of the proposed oil terminal. Conversations like that, she said, enable small cities to take advantage of the experience and expertise of their larger counterparts.

Although approval of the Vancouver Energy oil terminal in the state’s hands, being a member of the alliance is important, McEnerny-Ogle said, because it enables the region to share resources and support.

“Even though we’ve talked about storage of crude, we still have other commodities that could have an impact on us, and we need to have a conversation about those other items,” she said.