South Portland weighs crude oil ship restriction
The South Portland City Council is expected to consider a proposal to ban ships from loading crude oil in bulk — another mark in the city’s saga to beef up oil regulations.
The Portland Press Herald reported that the city’s Draft Ordinance Committee is expected to present the proposal to the council on Wednesday night. The committee was created last fall after residents voted down a referendum measure to ban the flow of tar sands oil. The council enacted a moratorium on tar sands shortly after the referendum.
Jim Merrill, a spokesman for Portland Pipe Line, told the newspaper that the company is monitoring the proposal closely, but hasn’t determined whether it will contest the measure.
The proposal would prohibit companies from loading crude oil onto marine vessels. It would also prohibit them from building or expanding facilities designed to facilitate the loading of crude oil.
The committee said loading crude oil creates a greater possibility of harmful air pollution because of a displacement of hazardous vapors that happens during the process. It also said the vapor combustion tank needed for pollution mitigation would negatively impact the aesthetics of South Portland’s waterfront.
The city council is expected to vote on the proposal in July.
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