Oregon seeks to prevent environmental catastrophe from quake

A river on fire with millions upon millions of gallons od oil, jet fuel, gasoline. A major environmental disaster in America. A state struggling to recover from a major earthquake will not have enough fuel.

Scientists warn that Oregon could be in a nightmare scenario if it doesn’t do more to protect its main fuel storage unit from major earthquakes, which are likely to occur sooner than expected.

More than 90% state’s liquid fuels are kept at the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub. It is located along a 6-mile (10 km) stretch of Willamette River in northwest Portland.

Oregon lawmakers took steps this week to force the owners and operators to upgrade the facility’s old storage tanks to be earthquake-resistant.

A new Report Multnomah County and the city of Portland commissioned a study that found the hub was built on soils susceptible to liquefaction in an earthquake. This means that the water-saturated sediment would temporarily lose strength, and act as a fluid.

According to a report by the state, the industrial area has 46 large above-ground fuel tank, a liquefied natural gases storage facility, and pipelines. Some fuel tanks are more 100 years old and were constructed at least 50 years 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 from Columbia River to Willamette River and reach the Pacific Ocean about 100 miles (160km) to its northwest.

The expected damage is on par with the largest environmental disaster in U.S. History, when BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded in 2010. It emitted at least 134million gallons (609million liters) of oil to the Gulf of Mexico.

The Oregon researchers wrote that the fuel releases could cause fires and explosions. “If the fire spreads beyond one property, there are serious dangers to life, safety, and the natural resources.”

California is well-known for its earthquakes, particularly along the San Andreas Fault. Experts believe that one of the most powerful earthquakes in the history of the world could happen any day along Cascadia subduction zones, which run from Canada, Oregon, and Northern California to Canada. Cascadia had its last major earthquake in 1700. The magnitude was 9.

Officials from Oregon have taken steps to mitigate the threat.

Oregonians are encouraged each year to participate in Great Oregon ShakeOut Day. Gov. Kate Brown regularly reminds people that they should have an emergency kit with at minimum two weeks’ worth food, water, and other necessities. You can find warning signs along the coast about tsunami-zones.

1995 saw the Legislature ban certain public emergency and other facilities from being built in tsunami-prone areas. It repealed the measure in 2019, after coastal legislators stated that without new emergency services buildings coastal residents and businesses wouldn’t be eligible for property insurance, which could cause property values to drop.

The U.S. Geological Survey operated an early warning system for Oregon last year. It uses seismographic sensors that quickly detect large earthquakes. This alerts smartphones so people can seek shelter. It is also used by California and Washington.

Chris Goldfinger, an earthquake expert at Oregon State University, said that an earthquake of at least magnitude 7 is 37% likely to occur off the Oregon coast within 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’re living under a ticking time bomb,” said state senator Michael Dembrow, from Portland, during Monday’s Senate Committee on Energy and Environment public hearing on this measure.

Dembrow said that every time he passes the storage tanks, it gives him a “nightmare view” of the earthquake.

“If that happens, how can we live with ourselves?” He asked his fellow legislators. Two dozen others joined him in sponsoring this bill.

The American Society of Civil Engineers’ Oregon branch stated that seismic resilience is crucial. They pointed out that fuel will be required to power generators, emergency vehicles, and equipment in the event of a major earthquake.

The Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub stores all of the jet fuel required for Portland International Airport. Without it, planes carrying aid to Oregon wouldn’t be able to refuel.

Mike Harryman was appointed by the governor to be Oregon’s first state resilience officers and is charged with preparing for a Cascadia seismic event. He said that Oregon will feel three punches, including the earthquake itself, the tsunami, and the “disaster” at the fuel hub.

He said that he did not know of any seismic mitigation at the site, and that he had not been informed by the owners or operators.

The bill requires operators of bulk oils or liquid fuels terminals to conduct seismic vulnerability assessments and submit them by June 1, 2024 to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. They would then be reviewed and approved. The department would then approve the owners and operators to implement a seismic risk management plan.

Dembrow wrote in an email, “How they do their work and on what timeline isn’t clear yet.”

Jessica Spiegel, from the Western States Petroleum Association, a non-profit that represents companies involved with the petroleum industry in five western States, including Oregon, stated that while the bill entails high fees, federal funds may be available for mitigation.

She stated that fees must be considered in order to determine the business needs of the state.

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