Should Washington become a petrochemical highway?

In recent years, the Pacific Northwest has seen one proposed fossil fuel export project after another. Coal, crude oil, liquefied natural gas, and propane are all bad enough. But now — the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes, WA is planning a massive, $400 million expansion of their refinery to produce a highly toxic lightweight crude oil byproduct called xylene, used for plastics and polyester. Community resistance has defeated earlier proposals, but we need you now to ensure this new export scheme is also smashed on the rocks of Washington’s Thin Green Line.

Tesoro’s not just in it for the xylene, either. The refinery expansion could lead to more oil train traffic and would guarantee many more tankers in the Salish Sea. It’s no coincidence Tesoro proposed this project at the same time they were lobbying Congress –successfully– to drop the crude export ban. They’ve got a $400 million camel’s nose, and our shorelines are the tent.