Oct. 4 Deadline for State Oil Spill Plan Comments

From the Friends of the San Juans

Please comment on the State’s Oil Spill Contingency Plan Rule by October 4th (a week from today).

Hundreds of thousands of tourists enjoy the beauty of the San Juan Islands annually. Maintaining the beauty of these islands is critical to preserving our local and regional economy. The Outdoor Industry Association estimates that recreation supports 115,000 jobs and contributes $11.7 billion to the state economy. In San Juan County, tourism is valued to generate over $51 million dollars in spending and 669 jobs.

A large oil spill would change this overnight.

This is our time to speak up and ensure we have plans in place before the projected 887 new cargo ships exporting coal and diluted bitumen tar sands travel our waters.  These 887 cargo ships will transits through our waters 1,774 times a year to ports at March Point, Anacortes, the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal, Bellingham, and Vancouver Harbor, British Columbia.

Although the current version of the draft rule it a good start, we need more protection for the Islands.

Please request the following:

The Oil Spill Contingency Plan Rule:

1. Must define San Juan County as a Staging Area and must specify that the two, three, four, and six hour planning standards are resident;
2. Distribute equipment and personnel to the San Juans sufficient to address the risk from oil and diluted bitumen tar sands spill;
3. Require and ensure the ability to respond, contain and cleanup spills of oils that sink.  Potentially sinking oils include Group V oils, bunker fuels, and diluted bitumen tar sands;
4. Require that all contingency plans, technical manuals, and planning standards be publicly available on Ecology’s website;
5. Require that public review and comment be provided on all proposed changes to contingency plans, technical manuals, and planning standards
6. Prohibit the use of Coexit as a dispersant as has been done in the United Kingdom;
7. Specifically state that all Alberta Tar Sands/Canadian crude products including diluted bitumen and all forms of synthetic crude being transported by land-based pipelines also be subject to the Oil Spill Contingency Plan Rule.

To see the San Juan County Council’s letter for more details, click here.  You may provide comments in the following ways:

• Email: spillsrulemaking@ecy.wa.gov and to sonja.larson@ecy.wa.gov,
• Send a Fax: 360-407-7288.
• Mail a letter: Sonja Larson, Department of Ecology, PO Box 47600, 300 Desmond Dr., Olympia, WA 98504

Thank you for your support.