SOUTH PORTLAND – South Portland Mayor Gerard Jalbert said he would fully support new rules designed to keep tar-sands oil out of the city as the best way to both protect the community and heal the wounds caused by a divisive referendum on the issue held last fall.
The City Council is scheduled to hold a first reading on the proposed ordinance amendments dealing with the prohibition of tar sands at 7 p.m. on Monday, July 7, at City Hall.
During a special workshop held last week, all seven city councilors signaled their support for the new rules, unofficially dubbed the Clear Skies Ordinance by those aiming to ban tar sands.
In addition, Jalbert said he wants to get the tar-sands ban implemented well in advance of November, when the city’s moratorium on any new development project involving the Canadian oil product is scheduled to expire.
“I know some people believe we have subverted the will of the people by taking this course,” Jalbert said last week, but he called the new rules recommended by the city’s special Draft Ordinance Committee “a very good solution.”
In making his comments, Jalbert said he did not support a second referendum on banning tar sands, saying the fight last fall over the so-called Waterfront Protection Ordinance led to the “deterioration of the fabric of the community.”
He said the steps the council took following the narrow defeat of that proposal in November have been the best way to heal the rifts caused by the election. Those steps included the institution of the moratorium on any tar-sands project and the creation of the Draft Ordinance Committee.
Under questioning by the City Council during last week’s workshop, the members of the committee said there were two basic things they were trying to accomplish with the new rules that would ban all crude oil products, including tar sands. The two priorities were to protect the current activities on the South Portland waterfront while also effectively prohibiting the import and export of tar sands.
Under the proposal now on the table, South Portland would prohibit both the “bulk loading of crude oil onto marine tank vessels,” and the “construction, installation and operation of related facilities, structures or equipment.”
The committee said that South Portland, under its home rule authority, has the right to protect the health and welfare of its residents while also promoting future development that is more consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan.
The Draft Ordinance Committee found that allowing the import or export of tar sands would be inconsistent with the city’s vision for the future, which under the comprehensive plan includes a mixed use waterfront, as well as a “green city” that is a desirable place to live.
The Draft Ordinance Committee is made up of three members – Michael Conathan and David Critchfield from South Portland and Russell Pierce Jr. from Portland. In addition, the committee was assisted in its work by professional facilitator Jeff Edelstein.
Tar sands, also referred to as oil sands or diluted bitumen, is a combination of clay, sand, water and bitumen, which is a heavy, black and viscous type of oil.
While the Portland Pipeline Corp. in South Portland has said it has no plans to import tar sands from Canada, a vote by a key Canadian board this spring to reverse the flow of pipelines in that country puts tar sands “on New England’s doorstep,” according to members of the group Protect South Portland.
In coming up with its tar-sands recommendations, the Draft Ordinance Committee has also suggested that South Portland look into regulating air quality locally, among a variety of other steps designed to better protect the city from any further, unwanted oil industry development.
During last week’s workshop, Councilor Patti Smith called the work done by the committee “brilliant and amazing,” adding that she is “fully in support of moving this forward.”
Councilor Tom Blake agreed saying, “I fully support” the work of the Draft Ordinance Committee. “I’m so glad we didn’t give up on this right cause.”
Councilors Melissa Linscott and Linda Cohen also praised the work of the committee and indicated their support for the ordinance amendments that would ban tar sands.
Cohen also “thanked the public for attending the many meetings” held on the issue and also thanked people for “showing respect” for each other, as well as the process.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
