Why Puget Sound Needs A Year-Round Tug

Dont let this happen to Puget Sound.
Write NOW:

Bill # Tug SB 5344

Committee Members
422 J.A. Cherberg Building - P.O. Box 40466 - Olympia, WA 98504-0466

Senator
Rockefeller, Phil (D) Chair rockefeller.phil@leg.wa.gov JAC 218 (360) 786-7644
Pridemore, Craig (D) Vice Chair pridemore.craig@leg.wa.gov JAC 212 (360) 786-7696
Honeyford, Jim (R) * honeyford.jim@leg.wa.gov INB 107 (360) 786-7684
Delvin, Jerome (R) delvin.jerome@leg.wa.gov INB 201 (360) 786-7614
Fraser, Karen (D) fraser.karen@leg.wa.gov LEG 404 (360) 786-7642
Hatfield, Brian (D) hatfield.brian@leg.wa.gov JAC 239 (360) 786-7636
Holmquist, Janéa (R) holmquist.janea@leg.wa.gov INB 106B (360) 786-7624
Marr, Chris (D) marr.chris@leg.wa.gov LEG 417 (360) 786-7610
Morton, Bob (R) morton.bob@leg.wa.gov INB 115D (360) 786-7612
Ranker, Kevin (D) ranker.kevin@leg.wa.gov LEG 402 (360) 786-7678
Sheldon, Tim (D) sheldon.timothy@leg.wa.gov LEG 412 (360) 786-7668


Committee Staff
Sam Thompson Counsel JAC 420 (360) 786-7413 thompson.sam@leg.wa.gov
Dixie Huff Committee Assistant JAC 422 (360) 786-7462 huff.dixie@leg.wa.gov

The Exxon Valdez oil spill, which took place on March 24th, 1989, was one of the most severe ecological accidents in history, contaminating a total of 11,000 square miles (28,000 square kilometers) of the ocean. The ship dumped more than 10.8 million gallons (about 40 million liters) of oil into the open sea, affecting salmon, sea otters, seals, seabirds, as well as whales and other marine and land animals. Some 20 years later, the true extent of the damages is still being observed, especially in the case of the killer whale, or orca populations in the region, which have never recovered after the disaster.

The Prince William Sound region of Alaska, where the spill took place, used to house some 22 orcas in 1989, but now marine biologists say that their number has drastically decreased to just 7. In other words, they dropped by more than 60 percent over the last 20 years, despite authorities' best efforts to clean the area as thoroughly as possible. The truth is that the remoteness of the location – it's only accessible by boat or helicopter – has made it impossible for cleaning teams to work effectively.

“These are the unexpected things. In killer whales, not recovering for this long length of time is something that we certainly didn’t foresee or predict,” National Marine Fisheries Service’s Auke Bay Laboratory senior scientist Jeep Rice, who is involved in the monitoring efforts, says. According to the expert, more than 16,000 gallons of oil float in the region even today, and in 1989 an estimated 7 whales died on account of the spill.

Other than the accident, there are also other factors that have led to the decline in the number of whales, including the fact that their main prey, the seals, were decimated by pesticides in the water, which were most likely brought from Asia by currents, as well as the fact that the chemicals might have affected the orcas' reproductive abilities. Together, these factors formed a potent mix, which now threatens to wipe out the killer whale group completely.

However, Exxon currently denies this situation, stating that the mammals in the region are recovering or have already recovered. Naturally, this is not true, as evidenced by the recent study and counting of orcas. It's true that some species are recovering, namely smaller ones that have been able to better adapt to the changes, but killer whales are highly endangered by the remaining oil, and something has to be done quickly, if they are to survive.

Protect Puget Sound Orca Whales-TUG now

A Permanent, Year-Round Rescue Tug at Neah Bay:
Our Best Protection Against A Major Oil Spill in Washington Waters

The Problem:

Puget Sound and the Northwest Straits are among the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Fifteen billion gallons of oil move across the waters of Puget Sound in ships every year. Our four huge refineries receive tanker-loads of Alaskan oil hundreds of times every year. And cargo ships of all kinds -- accounting for thousands of trips in Puget Sound each carry enough fuel to devastate Puget Sound should a spill occur. In fact, the National Marine Fisheries Service, in listing the resident orca whale as “threatened” with extinction, identified a catastrophic oil spill as the number one threat to the species.

Even in the best-case scenario, efforts to cleanup a spill result in recovery of no more than 20% or so of the oil spilled. The key is to prevent spills from happening.

The Rescue Tug: A Proven Strategy to Prevent Spills:

For the past 15 years or so, a large number of state advisory committees and panels of experts have recommended that a rescue tug be stationed at the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca in order to prevent spills in Washington waters (see Neah Bay Rescue Tug: Report to the Washington Legislature, Department of Ecology, Dec. 2000). It wasn’t until 1999, however, that Congressman Norm Dicks was able to secure funding for a rescue tug at Neah Bay. In subsequent years, the state legislature was able to provide partial funding for the tug so that it could be stationed during the winter months. Unfortunately, state funding for the tug will expire in July 2008 and the state legislature was unable to secure a new source of funding for the tug during the 2007 legislative session.

The rescue tug functions in much the same way a fire engine does. It is stands ready to assist vessels that lose power or are otherwise disabled and risk running aground. Groundings are a major cause of spills around the world. While inside Puget Sound a number of commercial tugs are available to assist a disabled vessel, for the 80 mile stretch of the Strait from Port Angeles to Neah Bay and across the entire outer coast, such tugs are a rarity.

Since 1999, the rescue tug has been responsible for 41 rescues or assists of oil tankers, cargo vessels, and other vessels in the region. Similar success stories surround tugs stationed in Alaska, Japan, France, Great Britain, and across the globe.

Permanent, Year Round Rescue Tug Needed: Support HB 1409 / SB 5344

For the past ten years, we have relied on periodic funding for the rescue tug. Efforts to achieve federal legislation on this topic have faltered. State taxpayers should no longer be asked to pay for the tug---it’s time to require oil companies and other shippers to maintain the rescue tug at Neah Bay. This proposal will reduce the burden on the state budget by an estimated $3.6 million dollars per year.

HB 1409 / HB 5344 will require that oil tankers and other large vessels (over 300 gross tons) entering the Strait of Juan De Fuca contract with a tug provider to site the vessel year round at Neah Bay. The bill sets forth minimum requirements for the capability of the tug and requires that the tug perform occasional training drills. This measure has the added benefit of helping to meet shipping industry oil spill requirements at both the state and federal level. It is also cheap insurance against a major spill, which could cost the state tens of millions of dollars.

Contact: Bruce Wishart, People for Puget Sound, bwishart@pugetsound.org
(360) 754-9177