Guest Editorial: Expanded Fuel Shipping Increases Spill Risks in Salish Sea

— from Janet Alderton of the San Juans Alliance —

March 24, 2014 is the 25^th Anniversary of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Many parts of Prince William Sound, where the spill occurred, have yet to fully recover from the catastrophic spill. Could such a disaster happen here in our San Juan Islands

The answer is, unfortunately, yes. Multiple projects have been proposed that would significantly increase the traffic of large ships carrying fossil fuels through the hazard-filled waterways that surround our islands. Coal from the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal at Cherry Point would be transported in very large ships that carry hundreds of thousands of gallons of dirty propulsion fuel. Tankers from the proposed expansion of the Westridge Marine Terminal near Vancouver, B.C. would carry diluted Tar Sands bitumen through our waters. A significant increase in the numbers of ships transporting fossil fuel through our waters will place our islands at increased risk for a major spill.

The San Juans Alliance is a diverse group of citizens that call the San Juan Islands home. We are united in our concerns about the adverse impacts to our economy and our environment from the transport of fossil fuels through the Salish Sea. We have organized two free events on Orcas that will help us to understand the consequences of a major fuel spill in our islands’ marine waters and the local resources for responding to fossil fuel spills. The questions of who should pay for spill preparedness, spill response, and the damages caused by a major spill will also be discussed.

On Saturday, March 15 from 12:30-2:30 PM at Orcas Emmanuel Parish Hall: Gary Shigenaka, a marine biologist for NOAA, who studies the effects of oil spills on marine life, will talk about how various cargo and propulsion oils would likely behave if spilled in our marine environment. Julie Knight, Executive Director of Islands Oil Spill Association (IOSA), will talk about local spill response preparedness.

And on Sunday, March 23 at 3:00 PM at the Orcas Senior Center, there will be a free screening of the award-winning documentary, Black Wave: The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez.