Cantwell to seek tougher rules for oil tankers in Sound

Sen. Maria Cantwell promised Sunday to introduce legislation this month significantly toughening federal safety rules for oil tankers operating in Puget Sound -- including a requirement that all large tankers be escorted by two tugboats to head off trouble.

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Currently only one tug is required for many tankers, and oil companies have argued that even that single tug may not be necessary for the new generation of oil tankers with double hulls and other safety improvements.

In proposing the new safety measures, Cantwell cited a succession of relatively large oil spills in recent years, as well as a series of articles in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in March exposing recurrent safety lapses in the tanker industry.

Cantwell, D-Wash., said the new measures were necessary because of the economic and ecological importance of the Sound. She cited statistics showing that more than 80 significant spills have occurred in Washington waters over the past two decades. Oil tankers make about 600 trips a year through the Strait of Juan de Fuca on their way to refineries near Anacortes and Bellingham and in Tacoma.

"The navigable waters of Washington state are a great resource, but they are also very fragile," Cantwell said, echoing the sentiments of the late Sen. Warren Magnuson, D-Wash., whose efforts are credited with limiting the size of oil tankers allowed into Puget Sound.

Cantwell is the highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate subcommittee with jurisdiction over oil-spill prevention. Her legislation would not cost federal taxpayers, but would require new infusions of money from the oil industry.

An oil industry representative signaled that Cantwell's bill would face a fight, saying oil companies already are spending billions of dollars to upgrade the tanker fleet.

Single-hulled vessels that are more vulnerable to a spill if they run aground are being phased out, as required by federal law. Instead, expensive new ships with double propulsion systems, double rudders and other fail-safe systems are increasingly carrying oil to Washington refineries.

"The industry is very proactive in preventing spills," said Frank Holmes, Northwest regional manager for the Western States Petroleum Association. "Oil spills have been significantly reduced, and Puget Sound is one of the safest waterways in the nation as far as oil spills go."

Cantwell's initiative comes on the heels of a proposal by Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, to lift Magnuson's restrictions on the size of oil tankers allowed in Washington waters.

One of the oil industry's most persistent critics in this area praised Cantwell.

"There's no defense like a good offense," said Fred Felleman of the environmental watchdog group Ocean Advocates. "It's important that she's articulating these things.

"My enthusiasm is tempered by the composition of this Congress and the administration."

The proposal would require that all large oil tankers be guided by two tugboats while traveling in Puget Sound and in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Currently federal law requires two tugs only for the single-hulled tankers that are being phased out.

Separately, a Washington state law requires all large tankers to have a single tug escort when they enter Washington waters east of Dungeness Spit, near Port Angeles.

It costs the industry about $20,000 per tug per trip, said Mike Cooper, chairman of the state's Oil Spill Advisory Council.

Cantwell's forthcoming bill, the Oil Pollution Prevention and Response Act, would increase the amount of money that companies responsible for oil spills have to pay for cleanup and restoration.

Major spills in Alaska and the Delaware River over the past year left a federal government fund with millions of dollars in costs.

Cantwell's bill is still in draft form. She has not yet decided how much of an increase to recommend for the liability limit, staffers said.

Mike McGavick, the Republican challenging Cantwell in her re-election bid next year, could not be reached for comment Sunday.

Other parts of Cantwell's bill would:

Force oil industry companies to pay $1 million a year to the state's fledgling Oil Spill Advisory Council as well as provide half of a $5 million annual fund for research and development of new oil-spill detection equipment.

Require a rescue tug currently stationed at Neah Bay part-time to be full-time.

Order the Coast Guard to conduct more inspections of single-hulled oil tankers.

Mandate a Coast Guard review of procedures for preventing spills when oil is being transferred to ships from shore. A December 2003 spill at Point Wells, near Edmonds, occurred when an oil-carrying barge was being loaded. The resulting spill fouled tribal shellfishing grounds.

Having new, tougher federal rules in place is important to state and local efforts to protect the Sound from oil spills, said Kathy Fletcher, executive director of People for Puget Sound, an environmental advocacy group.

The Coast Guard plays a significant regulatory role in governing the Puget Sound waterway.

"They have fought us every step of the way on tugs," Fletcher said.

The new rules would eliminate those obstacles and would even expand the Coast Guard's role in preventing and responding to oil spills.

OIL SPILL FORUM

The one-year anniversary of the grounding of the Selendang Ayu, a cargo ship that left Seattle bound for Asia, is being commemorated with a forum featuring environmentalists and others speaking on the lessons learned. The forum is scheduled next Monday, Dec. 12, from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Mountaineers, Tahoma Room, 300 Third Ave. W., Seattle. For more information, call 206-382-7007 or 206-595-3825.

P-I reporter Robert McClure can be reached at 206-448-8092 or robertmcclure@seattlepi.com.

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