Well, I don’t need to repost any of the hundreds of articles here, but I feel that Rep. Dicks has a long history of environmental support. His ability to channel many millions over the decades to the projects to help protect Puget Sound has been his largest achievement.
It is worth noting the downsides, since so much positive has been printed, (justly so).
It is impossible not to notice that the Puget Sound region has become increasingly militarized. This wasn’t just Norm’s doing, of course, but his unfailing pro-military stance rarely ever seemed to slow the incessant demands of the military to use Puget Sound as a staging ground for all sorts of ‘top secret’ training.
We as bystanders can only watch and catch the Navy, for example, when their ships wash ashore thousands of shellfish in Hood Canal. Or sonar seems to be doing harm to sealife. It’s just frustrating to be spending huge money and effort to protect sea life, including the ridiculous ruling last year to keep whale watch boats hundreds of yards farther away from Orcas, without any scientific basis for the ruling, when we silently allow the Navy to do whatever they want in our waters. Now the new sub base expansion in Bangor will bring even more destruction and stress on this area. We recognize that a strong military needs bases and training, but there has never been a debate about whether it should be here or elsewhere on the coast.
We thank Norm for what he has done, though, and note that he will be big shoes for anyone, from any party to fill. We hope that it’s someone with as much love for protecting our fabulous resource of the Salish Sea, as Norm has done over an amazing 18 terms.
Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: Puget Sound |
