South Portland crude oil vote postponed
The South Portland City Council postponed its vote on a proposed crude oil restriction for vessels because of a larger-than-expected crowd that exceeded the meeting room’s capacity.
The Portland Press Herald reported that the City Council is now scheduled to act on the crude oil restriction on Wednesday, with a review by the Planning Board on July 15 and a final vote by the council on July 21. Mayor Gerry Jalbert said Monday’s meeting couldn’t be held because the approximately 200 people in attendance created a “life safety issue.”
The proposal would ban companies from loading crude oil marine vessels, as well as building or expanding upon facilities for that purpose. The committee that drafted the proposal said the loading of crude oil onto marine vessels could increase air pollution and that vapor combustion facilities used to mitigate the pollution would negatively impact the city’s waterfront aesthetics.
The ordinance committee was created last fall after residents voted down a referendum measure to ban the flow of so-called tar sands oil. The failed ban saw strong support from environmental groups, who have said that tar sands is more dangerous and difficult to clean up, and strong opposition from the oil industry, who said it would hurt waterfront development and job creation for businesses
That division was on display Monday night. The newspaper reported that there was a visual discord over the proposal, with supporters wearing blue shirts that read “clear skies,” while opponents wore red shirts that read “American Energy” and “SoPo jobs.”
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