Vancouver City Council bans large fossil fuel facilities

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — The city council in Vancouver, Washington, has approved a permanent ban on new fossil fuel developments after years of temporary moratoriums. The Columbian reports new facilities that distribute, extract, refine or process fossil fuels have been temporarily prohibited since 2020. The Vancouver City Council on Monday unanimously made the ban permanent. City officials say the ordinance seeks to protect public health, the environment, and foster a transition to cleaner fuels. The ordinance is set to take effect in early November. Also under the ordinance is the capacity for existing bulk fossil fuel facilities to expand by 15% if switching to cleaner fuels and upgrading to seismic standards, subject to other requirements.