||| FROM ELISABETH ROBSON |||
In 2023, this body took a forward-thinking step by passing the Proclamation of the Rights of the Southern Resident Orcas. In it, you recognized that these beings have the inherent right “to life, autonomy, culture, free and safe passage, adequate food supply from naturally occurring sources, and a clean and healthy environment.”
At the time, the Council acknowledged that a proclamation carries no legal weight, but it does carry moral weight. It was a declaration of values and priorities, and a promise to the Southern Residents and to the public that San Juan County would recognize and defend those rights.
I am writing today to ask whether the Council is willing to uphold that promise in the face of a real and imminent threat: the proposed OPALCO tidal turbine project in Rosario Strait. This project would introduce an industrial machine into the heart of the orcas’ critical habitat, a place they rely on for safe passage and for finding the salmon they need to survive. The noise, disruption, and ecological impacts of such a machine would directly violate the very rights your proclamation sought to recognize.
If the County’s words are to mean anything, they must be followed by action when those rights are at risk. I urge you to stand by your own proclamation and make clear your opposition to this project. Doing so would not only defend the Southern Residents; it would also show that San Juan County’s leadership understands that proclamations of rights are not just symbolic gestures, but commitments that guide real decisions.
Thank you for your attention, and for your continued leadership on behalf of this extraordinary ecosystem and the beings who depend on it.
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Not only has the Orca Conservancy formally filed their opposition to this project with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Docket# P-15368-000; https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/search), detailing the potential harms to endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales in their critical habitat, the Tulalip, Suquamish, and Swinomish Tribal Nations have also formally filed detailed statements of opposition to this project with the Commission for a variety of reasons having to do with the safety and well-being of the critically endangered orcas and salmon, and overall health of the Salish Sea, as well as other issues related to preserving their Lifeways and upholding their non-negotiable Treaty rights. As Elisabeth Robson states in this letter, “rights are not just symbolic gestures, but commitments that guide real decisions.” In the absence of meaningful Tribal consultation and engagement by OPALCO on this issue (as documented in their FERC objections), the County Council must also make every effort to honor and uplift the concerns of our Tribal neighbors. I ask the County Council to thoroughly review all of the public comment material related to the FERC application and take a stand against moving forward with this project.