This is really bad. This could force us to abandon tug escorts in Puget Sound. We have appreciated the Coast Guard’s support of oil spill prevention rules, but often their attitude has been very demeaning of local activists who see regional concerns that the CG tends to downplay or ignore. If you are concerned, please write our local Federal Senate and House members to support their efforts to overturn this power play.
New rules proposed by the U.S. Coast Guard might dilute states’ power to prevent and prepare for oil spills — for instance, by overriding Washington’s requirement that tugboat escorts accompany supertankers into Puget Sound. The controversy is prompted by a Coast Guard effort to assert federal authority over maritime issues. State officials in Washington, California and New York have asked the Coast Guard to withdraw rules it proposed in December. They say the rules would limit the states’ role in protecting citizens from vessel accidents and pollution. Phuong Le reports.(Associated Press)
Read the whole story here:
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2023854457_coastguardstatesxml.html
Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: Coast Guard, Puget Sound, Tug Escort | Comments Off on States worry about Coast Guard’s new power push – AP/Seattle Times
