What better way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill than with a bill signing?Gov. Chris Gregoire this afternoon signed into law a measure that would establish a permanent, year-round tug to respond to vessels in distress.
Rep. Kevin Van De Wege and Sen. Kevin Ranker worked with a broad coalition to develop and pass the legislation.
The tug, to be funded by the maritime industry, will be stationed at Neah Bay and respond to emergencies, such as vessels in danger of spilling fuel. Since 1999, state taxpayers have picked up the tab for a tug, which has come to the rescue of dozens of vessels. More than 15 billion gallons of oil travel through the Strait of Juan de Fuca each year, highlighting the potential for a potentially catastrophic spill if something were to go wrong.
In fact, just a few weeks ago in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the tug responded to a distress call from a vessel with a fuel capacity of over 474,000 gallons.
Lawmakers and stakeholders point to the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound, which happened 20 years ago today, as evidence of the devastation brought on by oil spills and how important emergency-response resources are to mitigating them in the future.
