One of the best things that Magnuson ever did was to get this amendment passed. Since the 70s, we have minimized our risks with this law. As the article points out, environmental groups like Friends of the Earth and Friends of the San Juans have been fighting hard for years over the lack of enforcement by the Army Corps of Engineers and others. The Corps, as long-time readers of this blog know, are hell bent to do whatever industry asks of them, including hiding key documents in lawsuits and not upholding the laws when it suits industry. They have proven themselves unworthy of public trust.
A good article that summarizes where we are at with the Magnuson Act some 45 years later.
Enforce Sen. Magnuson’s ‘little amendment’ to protect Salish Sea | The Seattle Times
Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Oil Spills | Tagged: Friends of the Earth, Friends of the San Juans, Magnuson Act |
I’m not sure how this figures in to BP’s oil movements, but they are converting much of their diesel production at Cherry Point to renewable diesel (RD), which uses no petroleum products. It will be one of the larger RD refineries in the world. RD is molecularly identical to conventional diesel and can be blended with it or delivered using existing infrastructure, and no engine modifications are necessary. It’s already widespread in California. For more on this important transition fuel, see https://thecottonwoodpost.net/2021/01/26/the-renewable-diesel-revolution-how-california-is-reshaping-world-oil-markets/