 |
Neah Bay tug runs out of money again
Friday, April 19, 2002
State money has run out again for the oil-spill-prevention tug at Neah Bay, at the tip of the Olympic Peninsula.
After a busy seven months, the rescue tug Barbara Foss is gone until September, when $1.4 million appropriated by the Legislature will cover 200 more days.
Despite pleas from Gov. Gary Locke, environmentalists, the state Department of Ecology and others, Congress is not funding the tug.
The state has paid for seasonal protection of the outer coast, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and northern Puget Sound since 1999. A 2002 Ecology report to the Legislature said 9,935 commercial vessels, including 1,164 oil tankers, crossed Washington's inland waters, carrying 15.1 billion gallons of oil as cargo or fuel.
The tug provides emergency towing to disabled vessels and escorts high-risk vessels to harbor.
From September through last Friday, the Barbara Foss aided eight ships that had experienced engine failure and other problems on the coast and in the strait -- the maritime gateway to Puget Sound and to refineries in northwestern Washington. With the tug no longer around, environmental activists contend that the seasonal approach puts the state's northwest waters at risk.
My web site
My Yahoo!
Google
 Day in Pictures Wind, fire and more |
 David Horsey Palin joins the Straight Talk bus |
 The week's best photos Great shots from the P-I staff |
· Palin no stranger to state politicians
· No jail for Folklife shooter
· Downtown could dump Dumpsters
· Hells Angels reportedly started fight with officers
· Precious metals unearthed in gravel mine rubble
· Critical Mass bike ride comes off without incident
· Bail set at $1 million in dumped body slaying
· State weighing how much to fine Taylor Shellfish for using public aquatic lands
· Bangor sailor accused of raping two minors
· Two hikers rescued from North Cascades
· Mislabeled tuna salad prompts warning from QFC
· Blind woman struck by car, dies
more· I-90 projects: new snow sheds, wildlife bridges
· Realtors peddle real estate to bike-happy clients
· Duckett leads Seahawks over Raiders 23-16
· Seattle WR Obomanu breaks clavicle
· Winning lottery numbers chosen
more· Judge extends protection for desert bald eagles
· Shuttle service extended at Grand Canyon
· Yakima medical school to create 2 new colleges
· Burning Man pays for extra NHP troopers
· Obama pledges more support for veterans
more
The Big BlogBy Monica Guzman and other P-I editors and staff
· Issaquah will allow firefighters to solicit donations after all
· P-I might refuse to photograph three Bumbershoot bands
· Schultz fails, Sonics are history
Strange BedfellowsP-I staff on Seattle politics
· Wash. reaction to Palin pick
· Advice to McCain: unreinvent yourself
· McCain's v.p. choice is a Vandal
Seattle Real Estate NewsWith the P-I's Aubrey Cohen
· I've got sunshine
· The most expensive home ever sold
· Seattle-area values up?
Seattle TrafficBy Reporter Larry Lange and other P-I staff
· Overnight closures of 520 Bridge Thursday
· A different twist: fencing the Aurora Bridge
· Occasional closures next week on U.S. Highway 2
101 Elliott Ave. W.
Seattle, WA 98119
(206) 448-8000
Home Delivery: (206) 464-2121 or (800) 542-0820
seattlepi.com serves about 1.7 million unique visitors
and 30 million page views each month.
Send comments to newmedia@seattlepi.com
Send investigative tips to iteam@seattlepi.com
©1996-2008 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Terms of Use/Privacy Policy
