Portland Council Orders Tank Farm Terminals to Cut Fuel Storage at Least 20% by 2036
The Portland City Council in Oregon adopted two ordinances on November 12 requiring the 11 bulk fuel terminals at the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub along the Willamette River to cut their fuel storage capacity by at least 20 percent by 2036 (aviation fuel storage excepted), in order to reduce the risk of fuel spills and fires in a major earthquake.
The area, commonly known as the tank farm, stretches six miles along the river between the Fremont Bridge and Sauvie Island and stores 90 percent of Oregon's fossil fuels, much of it in aging tanks. Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney acknowledged the legislation is not perfect but called it a good start.
Portland has restricted new fuel storage facilities and expansions at the hub since 2016, and the new ordinances go further by requiring existing terminals to gradually scale down. Supporters note that in a major Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake, aging tanks could rupture, spilling fuel into the Willamette River and sparking fires that would threaten downstream communities.
Under the ordinances, the companies must draw up capacity-reduction plans and implement them in phases, with the city overseeing compliance.
Source: Portland City Council
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图为波特兰威拉米特河两岸航拍，关键能源基础设施枢纽即沿该河分布。Photo: The Willamette River in Portland (Dicklyon / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0)
