Ranker Introduces Oil Spill-Job Protection Bill

— from Rick Manugian for the Senate Democrats —

CAPTION: Sen. Kevin Ranker testifies during a committee hearing on Senate Bill 6418, his legislation to update and improve protections from oil spills.

A major oil protection bill introduced by Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island, would establish economic safeguards and significantly strengthen protections for the public and the environment from oil spills while protecting refinery jobs.

“The evolving nature of oil products moving through and out of our state raises critical questions about the safety of our communities and waters as well as the jobs at our oil refineries,” Ranker said. “There’s increased incentive for companies to export crude rather than refine it, and that’s a very real threat to family wage jobs in Washington state.”

To address that concern, Ranker’s Senate Bill 6418 would create a new Oil Refinery Worker Assistance Account to help workers who are displaced if refineries shift to crude oil exports and reduce their refining operations.

“If workers lose their jobs, this can provide the retraining, educational opportunities or financial aid they need to make a successful transition,” Ranker said. “And the time to prepare for this is now, before any workers lose their jobs and have nothing to fall back on.”

Ranker’s bill would also hold companies more accountable for the damages caused by oil spills, including economic losses to businesses, communities and households.

“With greater quantities of oil, and more volatile oil being moved across our waters and lands, it’s critical that we update our laws to safeguard our communities, economy and our environment,” he said. “We’re looking at a very different oil industry in the coming months and years, with more volatile products and a far greater quantity of product, both of which translate into increased risk.”

Ranker’s bill would impose a $1 tax on each barrel of crude oil exported as crude from a refinery in Washington, as opposed to products refined into petroleum products at the refinery. Half the revenue generated by the tax would go into the state’s existing Oil Spill Account for spill prevention and response, and the other half would go into the new worker assistance account.

The legislation would also require refineries and other marine terminals to update their oil spill contingency plans to address new types of crude oil such as the volatile Bakken crude and heavy tar sands oil from Canada. To that end, the bill would require the Washington Pilotage Commission to work with the state Ecology Department (Ecology) to adopt contemporary rules to improve protections for vessels that transport oil.

“Washingtonians want robust industries and they also expect businesses to be accountable for any damage they cause,” Ranker said. “These are fair, common-sense protections that will allow companies in our state to prosper while ensuring that their profits don’t come at the expense of people’s livelihoods and environmental health.”