"The decision by a small coastal city in Maine to ban the export of crude oil from its harbor brought threats of lawsuits from the oil industry Tuesday and put South Portland on the front lines of a battle over development of Canada’s huge and controversial tar sands deposits.

The ban, which the City Council approved late Monday by a 6-1 vote, was the result of an 18-month campaign by residents and Maine environmentalists. And it has rattled the oil industry.


'We may be a small city, but, boy, we’ve done a big thing,' said Mary-Jane Ferrier, spokeswoman for Protect South Portland, which headed the campaign in the town of 25,000 adjacent to Portland. 'We know it may not be over yet, and we’re committed to defend this victory from oil industry attacks.'"

Neela Banerjee reports for the Los Angeles Times July 22, 2014. [2]