A river set ablaze by millions of gallons of gasoline, jet fuel, and oil. A disaster that ranks among the worst environmental catastrophes in America. A state trying to recover after a major earthquake has no fuel.
Scientists believe Oregon is in danger of a catastrophe if it does not work to strengthen its main fuel storage facility to withstand a major earthquake. This will happen sooner or later, according scientists.
More than 90% state liquid fuels are stored in the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub along a 6-mile (10-kilometer long) stretch of Willamette River, northwest Portland.
This week, Oregon lawmakers began taking steps to compel the owners and operators of the facility’s aging storage tanks to make them earthquake resistant.
Multnomah County and the city of Portland commissioned a new report. It noted that the hub was built on soils susceptible to earthquake liquefaction, which means that the water-saturated sediment would temporarily lose strength.
According to a state report, the industrial area includes 46 large above ground fuel tanks, a liquefied gas storage facility, and pipelines. Some fuel tanks date back more than 100 years, while others were built at least 50 year ago.
According to the study, a major earthquake in the Cascadia subduction area would cause 95 million to 194 millions gallons (432million to 882million liters) fuels to gushes from the tanks. It would flow into Columbia River, where it would then reach the Pacific Ocean, which is about 100 miles (160km) to its northwest.
The estimated damage is on par with the largest environmental disaster in U.S. History, when BPs Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded in 2010. It emitted at least 134million gallons (609million liters) of oil to the Gulf of Mexico.
According to Oregon researchers, the fuel can cause fires and explosions. There are serious risks to human safety, life and property if the fire spreads beyond one property.
California is well-known for its earthquakes, particularly along the San Andreas Fault. But experts predict one of the world’s biggest earthquakes could occur any day along the Cascadia subduction zone, which runs from offshore Northern California, Oregon and Washington state to Canada. Cascadia had its last major earthquake in 1700. The magnitude was 9.
Officials in Oregon recognize the danger and have taken steps towards mitigating it.
Oregonians are encouraged to participate in Great Oregon ShakeOut Day every year to learn how to respond to an earthquake. Gov. Kate Brown reminds people to keep at least two weeks’ worth of food, water, and other necessities in an emergency kit. Warning signs for tsunami-zone areas are posted along coastal highways.
1995 was the year that the Legislature prohibited construction of emergency and other public facilities within tsunami inundation zones. But it repealed the measure in 2019 after coastal legislators said that without new emergency services buildings, coastal residents and businesses won’t be able to get property insurance which would cause property values to fall.
The U.S. Geological Survey operated an early warning system for Oregon last year. It uses seismographic sensors that quickly detect large earthquakes. This alert system reaches smartphones quickly so people can seek shelter. The system is also used in California and Washington.
According to Chris Goldfinger (an earthquake expert and professor at Oregon State University), an earthquake of magnitude 7 or less is likely to strike the Oregon coast within the next 50 years. He said that a magnitude 9 earthquake has a 10% to 15% chance occurring within this time frame. The magnitude 9.5 earthquake that struck southern Chile in 1960 was the largest ever recorded.
We live with a ticking clock, state senator Michael Dembrow, from Portland, said Monday at the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment public meeting on the measure.
Dembrow said every time he drives by the storage tanks, he has a “nightmare vision that the earthquake strikes, as we know it will, and we elected officials are left having to ask ourselves: Why did we ignore the warnings?”
How can we live with ourselves if that happens? He asked his fellow legislators. He was joined by more than a dozen others to sponsor the bill.
Leaders of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Oregon branch testified that it’s critically important that the facility be made seismically resilient. They also noted that fuel will be required to run generators, equipment, and vehicles for rescue and emergency personnel after a major earthquake.
All the jet fuel for Portland International Airport can be found at the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub. Without it, planes carrying aid to Oregon wouldn’t be able to refuel.
Mike Harryman, appointed by the governor as Oregon’s first state resilience officer and tasked with preparing for a Cascadia earthquake, said Oregon will feel three punches: from the quake itself, the tsunami and the disaster at the fuel hub.
He stated that he was unaware of any seismic mitigation being started at the site by any owners or operators.
The bill requires bulk oil terminal owners and operators to submit seismic vulnerability assessments to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality by June 1, 2024. This would allow them to be reviewed and approved by the department. The department would then approve the operators and owners of bulk oils and liquid fuels terminals to implement a plan for seismic risk.
Dembrow, in an email, said that it wasn’t yet clear how they do the job and what their timetables are.
Jessica Spiegel of the Western States Petroleum Association (a non-profit organization that represents companies in the oil industry in five western states, including Oregon), noted that although the bill entails substantial fees, federal funds may still be available to offset them.
She said as fees are established, “some understanding of business needs in the state should be taken into account.
