Oil terminal ruling favors Vancouver port

The Columbian newspaper reports that the Port of Vancouver did not violate state environmental laws when it approved a lease for an oil transfer terminal at the port, a three-judge appeals court panel said in a ruling released Tuesday.

The ruling upholds an earlier decision by a Clark County Superior Court judge. It also hands a victory to the port in the larger battle over what would be the largest oil-by-rail terminal in the United States.

Environmental groups Columbia Riverkeeper and the Northwest Environmental Defense Center had argued that port commissioners violated the State Environmental Policy Act by entering into a lease agreement with Tesoro Corp. and Savage Companies to build the terminal before it underwent an environmental impact statement.

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This article was originally published in The Columbian on August 25, 2015.