ACT

The tanks must go.

We have to build a strong, unified voice to communicate with those who can make it happen.

Tank the Tanks!

The CEI Hub is home to vulnerable HAZMAT facilities

Tier II facilities store /handle more than 10,000 pounds of hazardous chemicals.       DOGAMI (Department of Geology and Mineral Industries),  the agency that regulates geology, natural hazards, and mineral resources in Oregon.

Above ground HAZMAT containers on unstable soil (pink areas in the above map) are likely to fail.  Toxic plumes will be released and spread to nearby neighborhoods depending on the wind direction.  Toxic inhalation will cause deaths or irreversible damage in some people, irritation in many more.

Normal protective actions, like evacuation and shelter in place, may not be possible with toxic air.

Contact your local, county, and state officials (below).  Ask them, "What are you going to do about this? When?

Do you want to know more about "what's in our air"?Go to Health Impacts on this website.

Pollution is in our air because it has been permitted by DEQ.It harms our health.

Send an email to DEQ:
Leah Feldon, Director:  leah.feldon@deq.oregon.gov
Christine Svetkovich, Regional Director NW Region:  christine.svetkovich@deq.oregon.gov
Ali Mirzakhalili, Air Quality Division Administrator: ali.mirzakhalili@deq.oregon.gov

Here are some talking points:
Linnton has toxic air pollution from the oil facilities and diesel particulate from their trains and trucks.
Linnton's air pollution is carried to other neighborhoods, adding to their risks from their pollution sources.
Cancer risk is above the statewide average throughout Portland.
Portland has asthma "hot spots" where the incidence is above the 90th percentile--far above the average 50th percentile.

Join Linnton Speaks Out

Advocates and allies send an email or make a call to voice concerns about important CEI Hub issues as they arise. We contact officials and organizations with the power to act to make our communities safer and healthier; this includes those who work here and those who live nearby, including children.

Past outreaches include:

Contacting the City to oppose McCall Oil’s proposed expansion of infrastructure and new pipelines on liquefiable soil on the Willamette River.
Asking Oregon DEQ’s Cleaner Air Oregon (CAO) to stop allowing the tank farms to use an oil industry formula that underestimates their toxic air emissions.

We are raising our voices – it’s a commitment of only 10 minutes a month.

https://linntonna.org/get-involved/tank-farm-safety/

Communicate with Those Who Can Act

"We are fighting for a clean, safe future and we expect our elected officials to join us in prioritizing public health and safety over industry profits..."

Kate Murphy, Columbia Riverkeeper

Tank the Tanks created a signable petition that will be sent to officials at all levels of government.

Go to www.change.org/CommunitySafetyCEIHub

Concerns to Share

530 fuel tanks, holding more than 300 million gallons of volatile explosives – more than 90% of Oregon's liquid fuel and clustered along 6 miles in Linnton, a Portland neighborhood
Next to the Willamette River on unstable, in-fill soil
Emitting toxic fumes from tanks, trains, and trucks into our air
On a fault line and subject to the Cascadia Earthquake
Predicted by scientists to collapse, ignite, and explode during an earthquake or other event
The tanks should go somewhere safer.  Spread out, not all in one area.  On stable soil.

A Sample Message

I am deeply concerned that more than 90% of Oregon’s fuel sits on liquefiable soil on the banks of the Willamette River, clustered on one 6-mile stretch of land. When an earthquake or other disaster occurs, that fuel will very likely ignite. Fire will destroy areas in North and Northwest Portland. Fuel will be spilled into the river and spread destruction all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The damage to people, wildlife, and commerce will be like nothing this country has ever seen.

The only safe measure is to move the tanks. Please help make that happen.

Sincerely,

(Your name and contact information)

City of Portland Officials
Mayor Ted Wheeler:  mayorwheeler@portlandoregon.gov  503-823-4120
Commissioner Rene Gonzales:  gonzalezoffice@portlandoregon.gov  503-823-4151
Commissioner Mingus Mapps:  MappsOffice@portlandoregon.gov  503-823-4682
Commissioner Carmen Rubio:  Comm.Rubio@portlandoregon.gov  503-823-3008
Commissioner Dan Ryan:  CommissionerRyanOffice@portlandoregon.gov  503-823-3589

Multnomah County Board of Commissioners
Chair Jessica Vega-Pederson:  mult.chair@multco.us   503-988-7047
Commissioner Sharon Meieran:  district1@multco.us  503-988-5220
Commissioner Jesse Beason:  district2@multco.us  503-988-5219
Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards:  district3@multco.us   503-988-5217
Commissioner Lori Stegmann:  district4@multco.us  503-988-5213

Oregon State Officials
Governor Tina Kotek:  (online comment) oregon.gov/gov   503-387-4582
Senator Elizabeth Steiner:  sen.elizabethsteiner@oregonlegislature.gov   503-986-1717
Representative Maxine Dexter:  rep.maxinedexter@oregonlegislature.gov  503-986-1433

For other state senators and representatives, Google "Find Your Legislator", then "Oregon State Legislature" 
and submit your address.

Federal Officials
Senator Jeff Merkley (online comment)  merkley.senate.gov  503-326-3386
Senator Ron Wyden (online comment)  wyden.senate.gov  503-326-7525
Representative Suzanne Bonamici (online comment)  bonamici.house.gov  503-469-6010

For other US representatives, go to www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Spread the Word

Tank the Tanks billboards along St Helens Road help everybody understand the dangers we share. Linnton is identified as “the blast zone” because it's located next to the CEI Hub with 300 million gallons of flammable, explosive fuel in storage tanks and rail cars. Tell everybody about the risks and that this is fixable!

Post on social media: #tankthetanks

Go on a self-guided tour

Get to know your CEI Hub neighbors. You can’t miss the air pollution in Linnton.

There’s no way to show the smells in a photo. Come stand on Front Avenue and experience it.

For more on the tours, email  info@tankthetanks.org

Community Forums: Rumble on the River

Want to learn more from the experts?  You'll be welcomed.  This series of community-driven forums presents expert speakers and activists on the public health, safety, and environmental threats stemming from the Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub and Zenith Energy’s oil-by-rail operations.  Held monthly at rotating locations throughout Portland.  

Go to LEARN for video links to previous forums.

To get announcements of upcoming meetings, email info@tankthetanks.org and ask about "Rumbles".

Do You Live "In the Blast Zone" of Oil Trains?  Get a Free Yard Sign!

The oil inside railcars is highly pressurized, and trains can derail and explode, causing dangerous repercussions to our local communities, our health and safety, and our environment.  Paste this into your browser to a map to see if you live "in the blast zone"--
areas most at risk in the event of an oil train derailment and explosion.:   https://350pdx.org/campaigns/fossil-fuel-resistance/

Advocate for rail safety!  Get a free yard sign!  Share this with your neighbors. 
The 350PDX Fossil Fuel Resistance Team is helping folks hold Neighborhood Parties to educate their community about oil trains. 
Reach out to dineen@350pdx.org and lisebethjacobs@gmail.com to learn more.