sunset-croptVANCOUVER, Wash. –The Port of Vancouver USA Board of Commissioners will meet Tuesday, May 14, to attend to routine port business, including the approval of minutes and the payment of vouchers. Open session begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Commission Room at the port’s administrative building located at 3103 NW Lower River Road, Vancouver.

Immediately following the regular meeting, a workshop will be held to update the commissioners on various marine safety issues, including what emergency response capabilities are available on the Columbia River. The subject and timing of the workshop are directly tied to the recent announcement by the port’s long-term tenant Tesoro to expand liquid bulk operations at the Port of Vancouver. In a joint venture with the logistics company Savage, Tesoro is proposing to bring North American crude oil to the port by rail from the Bakken Region of North Dakota where it would then be transferred to marine vessels for transport to refineries in California, Washington and Alaska.

The intent of Tuesday’s workshop is to provide the commissioners with an overview of what resources are currently available to address emergency situations on the Columbia River, including possible oil spills. Staff from the Maritime Fire and Safety Association, an organization committed to promoting safety, fire protection and enhanced navigation on the Lower Columbia and Willamette Rivers, will be in attendance to present information and answer questions from the commissioners. As always, commission workshops are open to the public and interested parties are welcome to attend.

For those community members not able to attend Tuesday’s meeting, both the regular meeting and the workshop will be televised live on CVTV (cable channels 21 and 23) beginning at 9:30 a.m. It also will be streamed live on www.cvtv.org and will be archived later in the day on the same website for future viewing. A link to program also will be available on the port’s website at www.portvanusa.com.