Olympia Protesters Demand 24 Hour Restroom Access

Interfaith Works receives temporary use permit, opens warming center

Above: A lot of people have to go to the restroom after 7:00 p.m. Washington State Patrol Captain John Broome speaks with protesters outside the men’s restroom at Heritage Park on Water Street in downtown Olympia Monday night. Protesters are demanding 24 hour restroom access. Some participated in civil disobedience and successfully held the restroom open until 8:41 p.m. There were four arrests.

By Janine Gates

http://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

A woman was hit on her right side at close range by a pepper ball shot by an Olympia Police Department officer Monday night. She said the officer aimed right at her. She has a welt.

“Over a bathroom protest. It’s BS,” she told Little Hollywood later that night, admitting she was in the way of the men’s restroom door. Another person was also reportedly hit with a pepper ball.

For the third night in a row, about 25 protesters successfully kept the restrooms open at Heritage Park on Water Street in downtown Olympia past the time it was scheduled to be closed. Several supporters stood nearby.

Like previous evenings, Washington State Department of Enterprise Services staff arrived at closing time, 7:00 p.m., to lock the doors, forcing those needing access, such as the homeless, to pee and defecate in alleys and bushes in and around downtown Olympia. 

Protesters occupied the restrooms.

The Washington State Patrol and Olympia Police Department arrived. After warnings to clear the area, four were arrested in acts of civil disobedience. The men’s restroom was locked at 8:41 p.m.

Above: Olympia Police Department officers, armed with pepper ball guns, assist Washington State Patrol officers at the Heritage Park restrooms on Monday night about 8:35 p.m.

An Olympia area group called Just Housing has been advocating for justice in housing issues. 

The group wants the city to designate suitable public property for a legal tent encampment and to repeal laws that criminalize homelessness.

Most urgently, because everyone has to pee and poop, the group demands that the city and state open its public restrooms for 24 hour, seven days a week access. The homeless in particular have nowhere to go at night, every night.

The group has met with city staff and councilmembers for the last couple of months. 

On Saturday night, the Heritage Park restroom was open until about 7:35 p.m. and there was one arrest. The Thurston County Sheriff’s Department participated with the WSP and OPD that evening.

The men's restroom stayed open a full two hours past the time it was scheduled to be closed on Sunday night and there were no arrests.

For the last three evenings, community outreach worker and Just Housing advocate Renata Rollins has become an engaging citizen reporter, covering the events on Facebook Live, providing constant commentary and explanations for what the viewer is seeing and hearing.

Apparently without watching any of her online video, The Olympian newspaper and a Seattle television station reported that on Sunday evening, officers were locked in the restrooms, as if trapped by protesters. It was fake news.

Anyone present or watching the video live could see that the officers closed and locked the doors themselves to speak to the protesters inside and keep other protesters from entering.

“The Olympia city council has been debating public restrooms downtown for four years with no results yet....We have people sleeping outside in cold and isolation, and the authorities haven’t even been able to get us a bathroom. How are we going to solve the real problems our community faces?” Rollins said on Sunday.

Rollins said members of Just Housing had a meeting Monday afternoon with Washington State Department of Enterprise Services deputy director Bob Covington and other staff. He asked for time to come up with a “workable plan.” 

When asked how long, the response was two weeks, said Rollins.

“They wanted us to stop the protests and sit ins. I told him (Covington) that there are people really fired up and angry about this, especially after the outrageous escalated police response on Saturday night. Even if I’m not organizing people, people are going to be showing up,” she said.

Protesters chanted, “An injury to one is an injury to all – open up the bathroom stall!” and “Why are we here tonight? Bathrooms are a human right!” and “Same time, same place, same time, same place,” as they dispersed Monday evening.

Just Housing welcomes anyone of goodwill to attend their meetings on Mondays from 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at United Churches, 110 11th Avenue SE, in downtown Olympia, including the next two Mondays - no holiday break.

Above: No footsteps in the snow here. The restroom near the LOTT Clean Water Alliance and the Hands On Children’s Museum is just one of eight public restrooms in downtown Olympia. It is closed day and night due to problems with excessive drug paraphernalia, and is only open from May through September and for special events.

In related news, Interfaith Works received a temporary use permit to open a daytime winter warming center at 408 Olympia Avenue NE and opened on Monday. 

It served nearly 190 individuals when Little Hollywood stopped by at 4:30 p.m., a half hour before closing. The spacious building contains two restrooms inside, and two port-a-potties outside, which are locked at 5:00 p.m.

Guests were quietly resting, sleeping on mats, drinking hot coffee, and watching “Pirates of the Caribbean.” 

For more information about the lack of 24/7 public restrooms in downtown Olympia, go to “Public Restroom Realities in Olympia: Challenges to a Human Need, a Human Right,” at http://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com/2014/02/public-restroom-realities-in-olympia.html or type key words in the search button at Little Hollywood, or go to the City of Olympia website for current conversations.

For more information about the Interfaith Works warming center, go to Little Hollywood, http://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com/2016/12/downtown-­olympia­winter-­warming­-center.html

Olympia Port Votes for “Acceptable Cargo”

Above: The meeting room was packed with community members wanting to provide comment to Port of Olympia commissioners on the topic of “acceptable cargo,” Monday evening. The commissioners passed a resolution affirming their continued acceptance of ceramic proppants and other “safe and legal” cargo, such as military cargo, energy products, forest products, and agricultural products.

By Janine Gates

http://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The Port of Olympia may need to find a larger room for its commission meetings as community interest increases in its policies, finances, and business decisions.

At least six Port staff willingly gave up their seats to accommodate the crowd. Jeff Smith, port finance director, rolled out more chairs as community members continued to file in and sit in chairs and on the floor or stand lined up along walls for the three and a half hour long meeting Monday night. 

Among other business, on the agenda was a discussion and vote on acceptable cargo. 

The resolution was written in response to the week-long November rail blockade of a Union Pacific train leaving the Port of Olympia carrying ceramic proppants and centered on the Federal Shipping Act of 1984 that states “terminal operators cannot unreasonably discriminate in the provision of terminal services.”

The resolution also makes several statements regarding its expectations for law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction to promptly take appropriate action in the event protest activities violate local, state and/or federal laws.

Port staff, rail blockade protesters, water protectors, longshore workers, Vietnam veterans, tribal members, students, youth, and elders all spoke to their perspective on the issue. 

Throughout the evening, 46 individuals spoke at public comment opportunities.

Many urged the commissioners to not rush to a vote, while others, many of them longshore workers, urged them to make a decision, get on with other issues, and enjoy the holidays.

Addressing port safety issues, Port of Olympia human resource staff member Jeri Sevier read a prepared statement detailing current working conditions for port staff, foreshadowing possible future legal implications if the situation does not improve.

“….As leaders of this Port, I am sure you find it to be very concerning – that your employees are enduring intimidation and harassment. Protesters have broken our windows, sprayed graffiti on our building, an employee being attacked and harassed while driving Port vehicles through town.

“Almost daily I am getting reports of employees being flipped off, being yelled at while entering the Port building or by driving a port vehicle. You as our highest leadership at the Port understand the impact your actions – or inactions have had on the hard working loyal employees that are doing their jobs day after day – all to make the Port successful. 

“The Port staff feels unsafe in our current working environment in the City of Olympia. We as employees set aside our personal beliefs to fulfill the mission of the Port.  I ask that you, as a Commissioner, set aside your personal beliefs and start doing what is right for the Port of Olympia and its employees.”

Later in public comment, port citizen advisory committee chair Frank Gorecki suggested that staff travel in pairs with cellphones, call 911 as needed, and take photographs of any threatening behaviors. He also wanted to know the City of Olympia’s response to city police Chief Ronnie Roberts’ statement.

Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts denounced the Port of Olympia and its acceptance of ceramic proppants during a council meeting on November 22.

As discussion began on the resolution, Commissioner Joe Downing added an amendment, adding brief language for the inclusion of alternative energy products as acceptable cargo, along with conventional energy products, such as the ceramic proppants, military cargo, forest products, and agricultural products. The addition was approved by all commissioners.

Above: Port Commissioner E.J. Zita reads prepared remarks at Monday night's meeting. Zita illustrated her points against the resolution’s passage with a PowerPoint presentation.

Susan McRae spoke and presented the commissioners a stack of papers which she said contained over 800 signatures of residents of Thurston County.

The title of the petition is, “No Oil Fracking Sands at Our Port,” and reads, “We, the residents of Thurston County, demand the Olympia Port Commission no longer allow oil fracking sand or any cargo related to the extraction of fossil fuels to enter our Port. We want a port that doesn’t significantly contribute to climate change, the single greatest national security threat to the United States. We urge the Port to protect our climate. Native treaty rights, communities, water and wildlife and transition to sustainable economic practices that will not devastate the beautiful planet we live on.”

McRae, as did many other speakers, took issue with the resolution, and its phrase “safe cargo.”

Quoting a portion of the resolution, McRae said that while the port cannot unreasonably discriminate in the provision of terminal services, “it is not unreasonable to reject fracking sands. Fracking sands are unsafe because of how they are used and what they are used for. They cause great harm to our environment and endanger our national security….We need the Port to have a long term vision, looking to a sustainable future. We need an open dialog about the Port’s operations and the future.”

One longshore worker called the petition a slippery slope.

“…I’m just trying to make a living, send my kids to college, and retire with dignity.…(all this divisiveness) is jeopardizing our abilities to provide for our families.”

Helen Wheatley presented testimony saying that the resolution is a misinterpretation of the Federal Shipping Act and illogical that the port could accept and handle any and all cargo that is safe and legal. She also took issue with the Commerce Clause, and the cited RCWs, which she said are irrelevant to cargo.

She said the purpose of the Shipping Act of 1984 was to regulate shipping practices, not cargo.

“It was an effort to create sustainable competition and discusses the relationship between the port to the carrier or person, not the carrier’s cargo. This law is no threat to the Port, as Rainbow Ceramics would have to press its case and risk the possibility that the Federal Maritime Commission or a judge might well find the port’s refusal to take its cargo is “reasonable.

“If you want to require openness to certain forms of cargo, be honest and say that you are choosing this path, and allow the public to consider the matter on its merits. Don’t hide policy making behind a cloud of statutes that dissolves under scrutiny….”

Speakers pointed out that port executive director Ed Galligan has declined cargo in the past, such scrap metal. In that case, the port did not have the adequate infrastructure to contain it, it was oily and would have caused environmental contamination of the terminal, and the noise that would have been produced in its processing would have been disruptive to nearby neighborhoods.

“When we say we don’t want fracking sands to come through the Port of Olympia, he (Galligan) says that we have no choice - the Port has to receive any cargo that is “safe and legal,” as if the ships carrying proppants just show up. The truth is that it was on the Port’s own initiative that Rainbow Ceramics, the proppant company, was solicited,” said Pat Rasmussen, who has repeatedly asked for Galligan’s resignation.

“The Port is not an island, the City of Olympia is not an island…you should have turned down the proppants due to inadequate infrastructure…If you needed an additional warehouse, the shipper would have to put up the money for that. Environmental concerns are paramount but somewhere along the lines, economically reasonable, adequate considerations need to be made,” said Denis Langhans.

Langhans was referring to the need for an additional warehouse to store the proppants. A port request in 2014 for $50,000 to build a warehouse was refused by a previous commission, with Commissioner McGregor in the minority of the three member commission. Proppants currently sit outside in bags on marine terminal property under black tarps.

One Vietnam veteran spoke to the port’s past acceptance of military cargo.

“When I see a Stryker going down I-5, I see a trail of bodies. When I see proppants, I see villages being destroyed, the climate being destroyed….” He urged the commission to appreciate what water protectors are doing.

“If Olympia wants to be competitive in the future, it needs to invest. We cannot be left behind. We need to start making these shifts to make Olympia an economically viable place to invest in the future,” said Marles Blackbird, a Hunkpapa Lakota tribal member of the Standing Rock Lakota Nation.

Longshore worker Jim Rose said that if the Port of Olympia doesn’t accept the cargo, they will go to Everett, Seattle, or Grays Harbor to do the job. 

If that happens, “we’ll get in our cars, burning fossil fuels, running up and down I-5,” he said.

After hours of debate, Mike Cox, a lifetime resident and graduate of Tumwater High School and The Evergreen State College, urged the commission to make a decision. 

“There’s no reason to talk about this anymore…Make a decision! Don’t sit there and let them fight each other,” he said, motioning to the crowd. “Do your jobs, worry about other issues, and get through the holidays….” 

The final resolution passed, with Commissioners Bill McGregor and Downing voting yea, and Commissioner E.J. Zita voting nay. 

Galligan said that the port is in the process of scheduling upcoming discussions with both the Squaxin and Nisqually tribal councils.

It was the last port meeting of the year.

Above: With no time left on the clock, Olympia resident T.J. Johnson rushes to present commissioners and port executive director Ed Galligan with glasses of water and urged them each to drink it if they thought fracked water was safe.

Law Enforcement Answers Rail Blockade Questions

Above: Multi-jurisdictional law enforcement wait just before their advancement on the camp that blockaded Union Pacific tracks in the early morning hours of November 18 in downtown Olympia. 

City Manager Steve Hall on Blockade, Port, City Communications

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

http://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Little Hollywood has reached out to several entities involved with the November 18 raid on the rail blockade of Union Pacific tracks in downtown Olympia to get answers to lingering questions about the event.

By no means does the information gathered answer all questions, but it provides more information than has been offered in Port of Olympia or City of Olympia public meetings.

The rail blockade, begun by direct action activists in downtown Olympia on November 11, was in response to the Port of Olympia’s contract with Rainbow Ceramics and in solidarity with water protectors at Standing Rock. 

The Port of Olympia receives ships loaded with ceramic proppants, and transfers the cargo to trains bound for North Dakota or Wyoming. Ceramic proppants are used in the process of hydraulic fracking for gas and oil extraction.

As the week unfolded, new supporters joined the cause, creating a new group that collectively evolved and communicated with local officials in various capacities.

The blockade was broken up in the early morning hours of November 18 by a currently unknown number of Union Pacific special agents, the Washington State Patrol (WSP), Thurston County Sheriff’s Department, and the Olympia Police Department (OPD), with assistance from the Lewis County Sheriff’s Department.

Washington State Patrol

According to Kyle Moore, government media relations staff for the Washington State Patrol, 23 troopers were involved in the November 18 operation. Troopers acted as observers, pilots and provided perimeter security.  

According to OPD, the Washington State Patrol also protected the train’s engineer, conductor, and the train as it left Olympia.

The Washington State Patrol used a Cessna aircraft to provide an aerial view of the demonstration to officers on the ground, which accounts for that persistent droning sound of small aircraft seen and heard frequently above downtown Olympia that week.   

Moore said that the total cost of the rail blockade, for both regular time and overtime, is $9,336.00.

Above: Thurston County Sheriff's Department officers participated in the escort of the Union Pacific train out of downtown Olympia on November 18.

Thurston County Sheriff’s Department

The Thurston County Sheriff’s Department was asked similar questions.

“We responded to the rail blockage under the umbrella of mutual aid, requested by Olympia Police Department. There were approximately 19 law enforcement officials from our agency that responded. Our role was to provide scene security for Union Pacific police. I am not certain of the final cost,” said Carla Carter, public information officer for the Thurston County Sheriff’s Department last week.

Olympia Police Department

Olympia Police Department Lieutenants Paul Lower and Aaron Jelcick each answered Little Hollywood’s questions through email and in telephone interviews.

According to OPD, Union Pacific railroad special agents were in the lead, and in charge of the “clean-up” operation the morning of November 18.

A total of 46 OPD officers were present in different capacities.

Seven OPD sergeants were present, who oversaw the arrest team and conducted crowd control. Seven officers conducted traffic control and roved around the area in case marchers or protesters interfered with traffic. Two officers videotaped the process of arresting protesters and of alleged property damage. 

A still unknown number of officers were at the scene outside the Fish Tale Ale. Lt. Jelcick said that was a dynamic situation.

Above: At least 17 officers formed a line to prevent fewer than 15 protesters from being near the original blockade site. OPD says that some officers stayed inside and outside the perimeter to provide security for Union Pacific special agents as they cleared the tracks.

OPD used a pepper ball gun on protesters when the arrests started and when protesters starting climbing on moving vehicles. 

Pepper ball guns deploy a small plastic capsule that contains a little powder, an irritant, called capsaicin. When aimed at the ground, the capsule is broken open and a puff of pepper spray is released, causing people to move away.

Lt. Jelcick said he does not yet know how many capsules were used. The pepper ball gun can be used against people directly.

“It is the safest, lowest level crowd control option we have,” said Jelcick.

OPD also used flash bang grenades and threw three of them toward protesters outside the Fish Tale Ale to move them back off the tracks. The ones used were inert, says Lt. Jelcick, although he says the department does have the type of flash bang grenades that contain rubber bullets that go in all directions when used.

Lt. Jelcick says the department does not have or use tear gas.

Lt. Jelcick said two Lewis County Sheriff’s Department corrections officers assisted with transport of those arrested, and provided a vehicle for that purpose.

He said the Olympia Police Department did not videotape protesters or their camp prior to the raid.

A final cost for the operation has not yet been provided.

Olympia City Manager Steve Hall also answered more of Little Hollywood’s questions on December 9:

Little Hollywood: Where the protesters were camping, Olympia Stand says is “public land.” Is that true?  

Hall: No. It is public right of way. Any camping within right of way is not permitted. Could someone pitch a tent on Plum Street, which is right of way?  No. The same is true for the railroad tracks and blocking railroad trains.

For example, Olympia City Hall and Olympia Fire Department stations are public property, but a citizen cannot pitch a tent and camp in or on City Hall or Fire Department property. The demonstrators were asked to leave so that the railroad police could clear the adjacent tracks. Many left on their own - those who did not were arrested. I don’t know what charges were filed.

Little Hollywood: What was the city's position was for letting the protesters be there? 

Hall: The City did not direct the protestors to the land upon which they pitched tents and camped. The City attempted to resolve the protest peacefully and OPD warned the protestors that they had to leave or be subject to arrest.  Many chose to leave. The few who did not leave were subsequently arrested.

Little Hollywood: Are there any communications protocol currently in place that informs the city when hazardous cargo, such as the ceramic proppants, is running through the City of Olympia? 

Hall: It is my understanding that proppants are not considered hazardous cargo. They are ceramic coated sand or silica. They may be controversial, which is different than hazardous. I believe federal law dictates requirements if railroads carry hazardous cargoes such as chlorine but I don’t know what obligations they have to advise cities along the route.

Little Hollywood: I remember attending a joint city council-port meeting at was then the Phoenix Inn years ago. That was great. When was the last such joint meeting? 

Hall: Our last joint meeting with the Port was June 21, 2016. Items on the agenda were shared successes, sea level rise, the Downtown Strategy and the Nisqually Canoe journey. A variety of other minor issues were mentioned but I don’t recall if any mention was made of marine terminal cargo.

Little Hollywood: Have you and (port executive director) Ed Galligan sat down to discuss anything as suggested by Commissioner Downing in a recent port meeting? 

Hall: Ed and I have talked several times about a productive conversation(s) around this issue. At this time I don’t think a big formal meeting in a fishbowl would be productive. No council/commission meetings have been scheduled at this time.

Questions to Port, Rainbow Ceramics Asked, Still Unanswered

The Port of Olympia and Rainbow Ceramics have yet to respond to some of Little Hollywood’s questions regarding the disclosure of future shipments by rail. Questions were sent to Port of Olympia executive director Ed Galligan on November 30 and resent December 6. Other questions were submitted to the port's public records officer.

A representative of Rainbow Ceramics in Houston requested that I submit questions in writing, as she was unable to answer questions. She said she would submit the questions to their legal department. Little Hollywood did so on December 1 and awaits a response.

For more photos and information about the rail blockade, Olympia Stand, Olympia Police Department, Chief Roberts’ statement against ceramic proppants, the Port of Olympia, Ed Galligan, Rainbow Ceramics, and ceramic proppants, go to Little Hollywood, http://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and type key words into the search button.

Port of Olympia, Rainbow Ceramics, and Cows

Above: The Port of Olympia was seeing an increase in rainbows and revenue at its marine terminal in 2014. The port saw its busiest years in 2013-14 with its contract with Rainbow Ceramics, signed in 2012. According to Port of Olympia executive director Ed Galligan, 15 longshore workers were assigned to the port to assist with the cargo of ceramic proppants, adding more than 30,000 hours in each of those years. The industry has declined ever since. 

By Janine Gates
Little Hollywood

https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The Port of Olympia contract with Rainbow Ceramics expires July 14, 2019, and for many, it can’t come soon enough.

There is a scheduled discussion and vote on acceptable cargo at the Port of Olympia’s regular Monday night meeting of its commissioners on December 12, 5:30 p.m., at 626 Columbia Street NW, Suite 1-B. 

Staff has drafted a “decision needed” resolution that explains the parameters around the port's imports and exports. 

The resolution centers around the Federal Shipping Act of 1984 that states that “terminal operators cannot unreasonably discriminate in the provision of terminal services.” 

The resolution also makes several statements regarding the port's expectations for law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction to promptly take appropriate action in the event protest activities violate local, state and/or federal laws.

The agenda is available at http://www.portolympia.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2853

The conversation about the port's cargo at its marine terminal has been going on for years, from its long-term contract with the Weyerhaeuser Co., to an eclectic mix of cars, wind blades, garnet, military equipment, corn and cows. 

The previous commission's acceptance in 2012 of a five year contract with Rainbow Ceramics to accept ceramic proppants has particularly attracted the attention of many community members not previously involved with port issues. 

According to port documents, an early September review of the Rainbow Ceramics contract states that the Port of Olympia has received $6,568,102 in revenue from Rainbow Ceramics since 2012.

Expenses related to the acceptance of the cargo totaled $3,893,547 from 2012 through September 2016, for a profit of $2,674,555.

Jeff Smith, port financial officer, said that the expenses involved with the import of ceramic proppants include longshore labor to discharge cargo or load it onto rail or truck to send out, line labor to tie up or loosen ship from dock, discharge and load out machinery, and mandatory security from the U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security when there is a vessel in berth.

Vessel counts for 2012 was four, 2013 was 10, 2014 was 11, and in 2015, just one.

It is undetermined how many more proppant shipments the port anticipates.

“The number of ships that Rainbow brings in is predicated on the market. We do not have a forecast,” said the port stated in an emailed response to a request for information.

Above: Union Pacific Train 404 leaves Olympia loaded with 15 cars of ceramic proppants, escorted by the Washington State Patrol and Thurston County Sheriff's Deparmtent, in the early morning hours of November 18.

Union Pacific Train 404, which left the Port of Olympia loaded with 15 cars of ceramic proppants in the early morning hours of Friday, November 18, came back into port on Tuesday, November 22, just before noon.

The train whistle has blown several more times since that date, possibly indicating more shipments, however, requests for information by Little Hollywood to the Port of Olympia to learn if shipments since November 18 have taken place have not been answered.

Keith Bausch, former president of the Local 47, International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), attended Commissioner Zita's community chat last week.

“If I understand correctly from longshore leader Keith Bausch, 13 rail cars of proppants moved out in the recent operation, with 64 bags of proppants per car, approximately 1.5 tons per bag,” said Commissioner Zita to Little Hollywood this weekend.

“If I understand correctly from port finance director Jeff Smith, the Port grosses about $10 per ton of proppants, and nets about $1 per ton after direct expenses. So, 13 cars x 64 bags x 1.5 tons per bag X $1 per ton would net the Port under $2,000, if my calculations are correct.

“When fracking proppant cargos peaked in 2014-2015, the marine terminal was still in the red….What are other costs of doing this business? Greenhouse gas emissions from transport of proppants, fracking operations, and transport and burning of harvested fossil fuels….Environmental, social, and cultural costs of fracking, pipelines, and fossil fuel transport, e.g. Standing Rock….Potential injury and distress to concerned citizens, workers, and/or law enforcement….Polarization of communities such as Olympia.

“We need open, civil discussions to weigh costs and benefits of this fracking business. Public servants have an obligation to share relevant information with the public, to facilitate open, civil discussions, and to weigh costs and benefits in decision making,” said Zita.

Bausch also told her that corn was loaded and ready to go by rail to its destination.  

“I am generally not informed about port movements of cargo, despite repeated requests to the executive director,” said Zita.

There is ample evidence to refute the Port’s assertion that it just accepts whatever cargo comes its way.

An article, “Port Cargo Concerns Community,” by Hildi Flores was published in the South Sound Green Pages’ Spring 2013 issue, and explores the same questions and concerns raised by community members now.

In the article, Flores describes how the Port actively solicited the contract of Rainbow Ceramics by sending its port business development manager, Jim Knight, to North Dakota. According to Knight, the cargo was a good fit for the port’s break-bulk facilities.

In keeping with the conversation in 2013, meeting minutes for the April 22 port meeting indicate that former port commissioner Jeff Davis asked that if the port should decide against shipping proppants through the port, what would the next step be to halt fracking in the Midwest? 

Davis, a longshore worker, said it might be beneficial to commissioners to learn what that might entail because the port has deferred shipment of other materials only to have them shipped from another port. 

As for studies related to climate change and the industry's use of proppants, employing fracking to extract oil, and the impacts of the use of petroleum products, the port does not have any such studies in conjunction with or related to contracting with Rainbow Ceramics. 

“Industry-wide impacts would constitute Scope 3 emissions from a carbon accounting standpoint. Department of Ecology’s greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting methodology that is used for those entities with emissions large enough to mandate reporting, excluded Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions. Scope 2 emissions are excluded due to the high risk for double counting that would result from their inclusion. Scope 3 emissions are excluded due to their being outside of the jurisdiction of the reporting entity. Scope 3 emissions are those outside of the Port's capacity and capability to directly affect,” wrote Galligan in an email to Commissioner Zita in September.

Cameron Powell, operations and service manager for Rainbow Ceramics in Houston, coordinates logistics from Rainbow Ceramics' manufacturing plants in China to Canada and U.S. ports, which are the Port of Houston Authority, San Antonio, and Olympia. 

Her job is to “research new projects to capitalize on various shale plays such as the Bakken, Eagle Ford, and Permian Basin, analyze inventory and reports of incoming and outgoing ceramic proppant, and manage rail cars going to and from transloading facilities in North America.”

Per Powell’s request, rather than speaking on the phone, Little Hollywood offered a written list of about 15 questions on December 1 pertaining to its business and contract with the Port of Olympia. Those questions have yet to be answered.

As for alternatives to ceramic proppants and other controversial cargo, community member Greg Schundler was one of the speakers at a recent port meeting who encouraged the Port to use data to drive its goals toward a more sustainable existence.

He offered his research on this issue, available at www.slideshare.net/gregschundler/port-of-olympia-from-extraction-economy-to-sustainable-growth

Oh, and those cows?

In November 2015, the Port of Olympia was proud to announce their involvement in the movement of 1,400 head of dairy cattle to Vietnam.

According to the port’s press release at the time, Vietnam launched a campaign geared toward minimizing childhood malnourishment through a strategy of providing one glass of milk per child per day. The dairy cows came from Idaho and Washington farms, and following a required holding period, were then loaded onto a ship.

Through a public records request, Little Hollywood found out that the port showed net revenue of approximately $25,000 for the shipment.

Based on economic viability, its ongoing conflicts with the City of Olympia, and stress on local, regional and state law enforcement agencies, the Port of Olympia marine terminal may be looking at some hard choices in its future.

Above: Bags of ceramic proppants are still at the Port of Olympia, as seen in November. Commissioner Zita was told at her informal community chat that there were about 20 rail cars of proppants still at the port with no set date for shipment.  

Editor’s Comment/Full Disclosure: The South Sound Green Pages was a print and online publication of the South Puget Environmental Education Clearinghouse (SPEECH). Janine Gates, then Janine Unsoeld, was president of the organization and editor of the publication at the time. The article by Hildi Flores is at http://oly-wa.us/GreenPages/Article.php?id=2013;05;201305e

For more pictures and information about the rail blockade of the Union Pacific train in downtown Olympia in November, the Port of Olympia, Rainbow Ceramics, ceramic proppants, and the City of Olympia, go to Little Hollywood, http://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com, and type key words into the search button.