SOUTH PORTLAND – A committee that’s been working for months on new rules to control the flow of so-called tar-sands oil in South Portland has released its draft recommendations, which conclude that the import and export of the product is inconsistent with the city’s vision for the future.

A public forum at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 5, at City Hall will give residents their first opportunity to discuss the new recommendations, their possible impact and to ask questions of the Draft Ordinance Committee members.

The committee has recommended that the city prohibit both the loading of tar sands onto marine tank vessels and the “construction, installation and operation of related facilities, structures or equipment that would create significant new sources of air pollution, adversely impact or obstruct ocean views and scenic view sheds and impede or adversely impact the city’s land-use and planning goals.”

The committee also said that South Portland, within its “broad home rule authority,” has the right to protect the health and welfare of its residents and to promote “future development consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan,” by banning the import and export of tar sands.

The group recommends that keeping tar sands out of South Portland allows the city to protect its community vision of having a mixed-use waterfront, “a green city that protects air quality,” a community where schools are “not impacted by incompatible adjacent uses” and a community that is a desirable place to live.

In its newly released materials, the committee also found that the import and export of tar sands is not a “traditional marine use.” And, it said that tar sands contains a number of “hazardous air pollutants,” including benzene, ethyl benzene, hexane, toluene and xylenes, among others.

South Portland has imposed a moratorium on any development proposal involving the flow of tar sands, which remains in place until Nov. 1, in order to give the City Council the time it needs to implement a regulatory scheme that would keep the substance out of the city.

The Draft Ordinance Committee, created last fall by the council, is made up of three members – Michael Conathan and David Critchfield from South Portland and Russell Pierce Jr. from Portland. It was given a mission of creating “ordinance language to address development proposals involving oil sands/tar sands products.”

Tar sands, also referred to as oil sands, is a combination of clay, sand, water and bitumen, which is a heavy, black and viscous type of oil. It can be piped, similar to the oil from more conventional oil wells, but must be diluted with lighter hydrocarbons to make it transportable.

While the Portland Pipe Line Corp. in South Portland has stated publicly that it has no plans in the works to import tar-sands from Canada, a vote by a key Canadian board earlier 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, which is fighting to keep tar sands out of the city.

Those Canadian actions are lending a sense of urgency to the discussions in South Portland about regulating tar sands. In addition, environmental groups have much concern, saying tar sands is different from more traditional crude because its possible negative impacts on the natural environment and public health are largely unknown.

“For our coast, our water and our climate, we simply will not allow tar sands to flow through our beautiful state,” Emily Figdor, director of Environment Maine, said in a prior press release.

---

A CLOSER LOOK

South Portland’s Draft Ordinance Committee will hold a public forum on its new tar-sands oil recommendations at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 5, at City Hall. Visit the city website at www.southportland.org for access to the full documents.

On Wednesday, June 25, at 7 p.m., the South Portland City Council will hold a special workshop on the proposed new tar-sands oil rules in the lecture hall at South Portland High School.

---