I grew up here in South Portland and I’m in favor of the tar-sands moratorium. If the pipeline gets reversed, tar sands will be loaded onto tankers and sold overseas. Fuel would not get cheaper in Maine. The toxic chemicals that enable thick tar sands to flow through the pipeline would be burned off in our community. South Portland would be left with the risks and would reap none of the rewards. Everyone who lives here understands that. I have yet read a letter from a South Portlander who is in favor of tar sands.

The people in favor of tar sands don’t live here. Lobbyists from the American Petroleum Institute spent a lot of money this fall in favor of tar sands, but they live in Washington DC. The oil company lawyers are in favor of tar sands, but they live in Portland. Even the oil company board members don’t live locally.

I am hopeful that the City Council will pass the moratorium and create a committee to draft safeguards that will protect us from toxic tar sands. Different sides of the issue should be represented in this committee, but everyone on the committee should be a South Portland resident. This is a decision about our community and we should be making it. Because I have not met a single South Portland resident who supports tar sands, I am confident that a committee of South Portland residents will do the right thing and ban tar sands.

Andrew Jones

South Portland