Plan to let more tankers on Sound blocked

WASHINGTON – Washington state lawmakers from both parties joined forces Thursday to block a provision in a House energy bill that could have reversed a 28-year-old law limiting oil tanker traffic in Puget Sound.

Democratic Reps. Jay Inslee and Norm Dicks and Republican Rep. Dave Reichert filed the amendment with House leaders, who agreed to strip the Puget Sound provision from the energy bill.

The House was expected to vote today on the overall bill.

“This is a big win for Puget Sound country,” Inslee said, citing bipartisan consensus on the value of the waterway.

The proposal would have changed key portions of the 1977 Magnuson Amendment, which limits expansion of oil refineries and the number of oil tankers entering the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound. The law, named after the late Sen. Warren Magnuson, D-Wash., restricts expansion of oil traffic unless it is “for consumption in the state of Washington.”

“Senator Magnuson’s stewardship is still alive and well in the Washington state congressional delegation,” said Fred Felleman, Northwest director of Ocean Advocates.

Supporters of the scrapped proposal said change was needed to increase domestic oil production in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and other problems that have resulted in high gas prices.

Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., said the current law unfairly limits the amount of oil available in his state and others on the West Coast.

Much of the oil used in Oregon comes through Washington state refineries.

But Inslee said increasing the amount of tanker traffic in Puget Sound would dramatically increase the risk of a catastrophic oil spill.

“We think an unlimited number of tankers presents an unlimited risk of spills,” Inslee said, calling the proposal by Walden and Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, “grossly irresponsible.”

Barton chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee; Walden and Inslee serve on the panel.

Inslee called it unfortunate that the Puget Sound plan was introduced by two out-of-state lawmakers, saying such a significant change for Washington state should be made only in consultation with lawmakers from the state.

Reichert, in a letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said that while he believes Congress needs to take action to curb gas prices and expand oil refining capacity, “increasing the number of tankers in the Puget Sound could have a devastating and irreversible impact on the region.”

Reichert called the proposed language overly broad, adding that it would eliminate “any limitation on tankers” in the Sound.

Before the House provision was axed, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said she would “use every means necessary to protect our waterways” if the measure reached the Senate.

“Because this issue is extremely important to me and to millions of constituents that live around the Puget Sound, I will use all tools in my power to stop this provision from becoming law,” Cantwell said Thursday in a letter to Hastert.