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Inslee listens to a constituent.

Montage of Wing Point in Bainbridge Island and the Edmonds Ferry.

Jay Inslee: Washington's 1st Congressional District

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Point Wells Oil Spill Report

10 December 2004

This morning, U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee convened a meeting in Seattle to discuss the Coast Guard's recommendations presented in a Point Wells oil spill incident report.

Some of the Coast Guard's recommendations based on the oil spill include: (1) investigating the possibility of deploying oil containment booms around vessels prior to transferring low flammability fuel oil to or from vessels (known as pre-booming), (2) having Foss Maritime incorporate procedures to properly maintain its overfill alarm system, (3) requiring the Chevron/Texaco Point Wells facility to test the vessel overflow monitoring devices, and (4) requiring Foss Maritime to develop a risk-based approach to assigning the number of tankermen based on each barge transfer situation. While some these recommendations mention specific companies, they can serve as general guidelines for oil spill prevention and response in other situations.

Read the text of the Coast Guard's report (Adobe Acrobat). You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader software to view and print the legislation; download the free software here.

"Three significant oil spills on the West Coast this past year, with one unfolding right now, point out the absolute necessity of improving our response system," said Inslee. "I convened this meeting because I wanted to hear how the Coast Guard would make changes to give people adequate confidence in our prevention measures. There was a whole sequence of human and mechanical failures in the Point Wells oil spill that illustrate the complete need to improve mechanical standards and testing, assess what personnel is necessary on barges, and enhance our responses. The Coast Guard recommendations are commonsense and necessary measures to reduce the risk of future spills. I will work diligently with the Coast Guard to ensure that their recommendations are realized, whether through federal rule changes or congressional legislation."

Inslee is also meeting with several other local groups to hear their recommendations over the coming days. Today's attendees included State Rep. Mike Cooper and representatives from the United States Coast Guard, Foss Maritime Company, ChevronTexaco, Washington State Department of Ecology, Puget Sound Steamship Operators Association and the American Waterways Operators.