91视频

Portland Mayor Charlie Hales is urging a Canadian company planning to build a $500 million rail-served propane export terminal at the Port of Portland to withdraw the proposal.

Officials from Calgary, Alberta-based Pembina Pipeline Corp. signed an agreement last fall with the port to construct and operate the terminal along the bank of the Columbia River near a dredge material handling facility on North Marine Drive. But the proposal, which would require a city zone change to allow a pipeline that would carry propane from train tracks to ships in the river, has drawn harsh criticism from Portland residents and environmental groups.

In a written statement released Thursday, Hales said he was most concerned about the environmental implications of the proposed terminal.

鈥淚 do not believe Pembina has made the case as far as Portland’s environmental standards are concerned,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd for that reason, I am asking Pembina to withdraw.鈥�

When Pembina and port officials first announced plans for the terminal it was scheduled to open in 2018 and receive 37,000 barrels of propane a day from Canada for export to Asian markets. Officials estimated approximately 600 to 800 temporary construction jobs would be created by the project.