I support the Vallero Crude-by-Rail Project because there are no good, substantial reasons not to. There is less to fear and more to be gained by approving the project than by not approving it.

Everything I hear and read from people who oppose the project is based on fear: fear of spills, fear of greater air pollution, fear of more railroad car congestion, fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of fear. Most of these fears are misplaced.

One needs to weigh the risks versus the rewards. One must also put the risks in perspective. In 2012 in the United States, 33,500 people died in car accidents, yet we don’t ban cars. Over the years we have made them safer. In the U.S. in 2011 there were 1,694 deaths as a result of stabbings, but we don’t ban knives. About 1,000 died from poison, explosives, drowning, asphyxiation or other unknown causes. However, according to the Federal Railroad administration, only nine people died last year as a direct result of “train accidents” in the U.S.

Accidents happen. That is a given. However, from the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) on the Valero project, we learn that the probability of an oil spill on land is less than the probability of an oil spill on water. In addition, common sense tells us that it is much cheaper and easier to mitigate an oil spill on land than on water. Consider the impact to wildlife and fish if a spill occurs on water. This project reduces the likelihood of such a disaster by shifting oil imports to the refinery from ship to rail.

On the other side of the coin of fear is opportunity.

The rail project will create jobs, make us more independent from foreign oil, and generate increased tax revenue for the city of Benicia by allowing Valero to be more profitable. According to the DEIR, not only does the project comply with safety and noise issues, it will decrease greenhouse gas emissions over time. It will make producing gas more economically efficient, which may go toward lowering the price of gas as well. We citizens all would benefit.

Consider, too, the cost of not doing the project. It will be a lost opportunity forever — lost capital year after year in the future. Further, not approving the project would substantiate the claims that Benicia is anti-business, anti-progress, obstructionistic and antagonistic to change. Stories abound about how hard and expensive it is for businesses to get started and expand in this town.

If it weren’t already here, consider a scenario where Valero started an oil refining business in Benicia from scratch. Given the city’s current leanings, the probability, I believe, is between zero and none.

Don’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. The oil refinery and industrial base kept the city going and thriving after the Arsenal was closed in the 1960s. Valero produces 25 percent of our city’s revenue. They have given millions to local charities in the past 10 years. I have heard it said that Benicia’s is one of the least profitable refineries for Valero, though I have been unable to verify that. If Valero goes — and don’t kid yourself, if we make it hard enough for them, they will leave — then we may become another Vallejo.

There is a saying: “Capital goes where it is treated well.” That is why Wal-Mart went to American Canyon rather than to Vallejo. Vallejo’s failure to encourage and support its economic base led to its bankruptcy.

We must recognize that no legal document or DEIR can cover all eventualities. At some point you have to rely on the goodwill of Valero to do what is right. Fortunately, Valero has a long and proven record of doing just that. They have had the highest rating of refineries in the U.S. for several years.

One more quick point. I heard some antagonists to the project say that the refined oil will be exported and not used for American consumption. First of all, the U.S. is not oil independent. We may now be the world’s largest producer of oil; however, the U.S. produces in barrels of oil only half of what we consume.

Secondly, so what if the oil is exported? That is a good thing. If we could take the pressure off Europe and especially Eastern European countries, which are so dependent on Russian oil, that is a huge benefit. I would rather fight the bullies of the world economically through exporting oil to our allies than exporting arms or our troops.

Finally, the stronger we are economically in the city, in the state and in the country, the more options are available to us — and the more capital there is to spend on research and development for more efficient cars, for cleaner air, for cleaner water and for all kinds of projects for good.

Profit and goodwill will create a brighter future for us and for future generations.

Suzanne Kleiman is a former college teacher who served on the Benicia Economic Development Board from 1999 to 2003. She has been an active Libertarian for many years.

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