County officials and advocates back study of financial responsibility for fuel terminals; industry urges careful analysis

The House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government and Veterans opened a public hearing on House Bill 2,949 on March 6, 2025. The bill would require the Department of Environmental Quality to contract a third party to study and assess financial assurance requirements for owners or operators of bulk liquid fuel terminals as defined in ORS 468B.510 (critical energy infrastructure hub), and to submit a report to the Legislature by Sept. 15, 2026. The bill provision would repeal on Jan. 2, 2027.

Multnomah County and community advocates told the committee that operators of the Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub in Northwest Portland pose substantial public risk and that financial-assurance requirements should be mandated at the state level. John Boshetinski, director of the Multnomah County Office of Sustainability, said the county’s analysis estimates an earthquake at the…