10/25/2006: "Local Governments Support Oil Spill Recommendations"

The risk of an oil spill in the San Juan Islands is a concern. San Juan County has significant tanker, oil barge, and large vessel traffic literally surrounding the islands, with vessel routes to the north, south, east and west. There also are oil refineries and loading facilities to the south, west and east of the county

Last year, San Juan County was fortunate to have two members appointed by the Governor to serve on the Washington State Oil Spill Advisory Council: Councilman Ranker and Nick Jones of Lopez Island. Nick represented commercial fishing, and County Councilman Kevin Ranker as one of three local government representatives.

After a year of work, the Oil Spill Advisory Council's report and recommendations were delivered to the Governor and Legislature on October 2nd. (Link to report)

On October 23rd, the three local government representatives on the Washington Oil Spill Advisory Council, San Juan County Councilman Kevin Ranker, Clallam County Commissioner Mike Doherty, and Maura Brueger of King County Executive Ron Sims sent the following letter of support to the Governor.

October 23,2006

The Honorable Christine Gregoire Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 40002
Olympia, W A 98504-0002

Dear Governor Gregoire,

We are pleased to write to you enthusiastically endorsing the recently released report from the Oil Spill Advisory Council and we strongly encourage you to prioritize the recommendations for implementing a robust and effective oil spill prevention preparedness and response program as outlined in the report. Under the leadership of Council Chairman Mike Cooper, we worked hard to reach a consensus on the report's
recommendations, including an innovative and fairly distributed revenue package.

As representatives for local government officials throughout the Sound, we know first hand, the horrific impact that a major oil spill has on a community and the health of Puget Sound. The state's diligence in preparedness and response is critical to protecting the Puget Sound from the impacts of an oil spill and must be a top priority if the recovery of Puget Sound by 2020 remains one of your initiatives as Governor.
Several of the reports findings and recommendations deserve specific mention and support in the upcoming legislative session:

1. Adequate funding for an appropriately staffed Washington Oil Spill Advisory Council;
2. Support for year-round service of a tug at Neah Bay comparable to the tug currently protecting the coast; and
3. Invest at least $2 million in the 2007-2009 biennium to address the derelict vessel removal "back-log" with a goal of eliminating the "back-log" in five years and identifying an on-going funding source for commercial derelict vessel removal.

As the Council moves forward next year on our charge to improve Washington state's oil spill prevention, preparedness and response efforts, we are confident that the strong collaboration between the Council, the State Department of Ecology, the United States Coast Guard and the stakeholders and citizens committed to achieving a zero-spills policy in Washington state will continue.

Council Chairman Mike Cooper and the two Council staff, Jacqueline Brown Miller and Dorine Coleman, have done an amazing job managing the Council through our work plan and the tight timeline for our work over the past year. They are to be commended for their expertise, commitment and patience with the Council over the course of this process.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns regarding our letter. We look forward to working with you and the legislature as we move forward with ensuring Washington state has in place a State-of-the Art Oil Spill Prevention Program. Thank you again for your confidence in our ability to represent local government interests and the communities we serve.

Sincerely,

Kevin Ranker
Member, San Juan County Council

Mike Dougherty Commissioner, Clallam County

Maura Brueger
Senior Advisor for Federal Relations Office of King County Executive Ron Sims

cc: Mike Cooper, Chairman, Oil Spill Advisory Council