Governor Inslee, AG Ferguson object to offshore drilling plans

Gov. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson are objecting to plans for oil drilling offshore of Washington state.

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The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management was to hold a public meeting about the offshore drilling proposal in Tacoma. The meeting, which was expected to draw hundreds at the Landmark Catering and Convention Center in Tacoma, was postponed after the venue owner became concerned the meeting would draw protests. Tribal leaders and others objecting to the drilling were expected to attend.

The 1 p.m. event was moved to Inslee’s office. Ferguson will attend.

Ferguson says he has sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, asking that Washington be exempted from a list of proposed sites for potential offshore oil and gas drilling. If Washington is not removed from the plan, Ferguson warned Zinke he will file a lawsuit.

Ferguson wrote:

As a fourth-generation Washingtonian, I know this part of my state very well. Twenty years ago, I spent a week hiking from the Hoh River north to Shi Shi Beach. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Washington State’s coast is a special place, and it deserves protection.

…On January 9, 2018, Secretary Zinke announced that he had granted an exemption to Florida, sparing that state from the risks and burdens of drilling and exploration off its shores. Every reason identified by the Secretary in announcing his decision also applies to Washington. Were the Department to grant one state an exemption without an identified process and established criteria, it would contravene the regulatory framework and processes that states rely on for fair and lawful treatment. Thus, I ask that Washington receive the same exemption as Florida, and that no drilling or exploration be considered or take place off our coast.

If, on the other hand, the Department of Interior seeks to put Washington’s coastal communities at risk, my office will initiate litigation against the Department to protect our coast.

Zinke announced plans last month to greatly expand offshore oil drilling from the Atlantic to the Arctic and Pacific oceans, including multiple areas where drilling is now blocked. The plan was immediately met with bipartisan opposition on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

According to Ferguson, Washingtonians took an estimated 4.1 million trips to Washington’s coast in 2014, generating $481 million for the state. Commercial fishing and seafood processing added another $117 million that year.

The Associated Press and MyNorthwest contributed to this report.