Ocean Shores has joined several Grays Harbor cities in taking a stand against plans to ship crude oil by rail and sea through the Port of Grays Harbor.
The unanimous 7-0 vote by the Ocean Shores City Council on Monday night approved a resolution that expressed the city’s opposition to the proposed oil shipment plans and urges Gov. Jay Inslee and the state to protect the Harbor and marine resources that could be damaged in the event of an accident or spill.
“The City of Ocean Shores joins its partner and neighbor to the north, the Quinault Indian Nation, as well as most of the cities and towns of Grays Harbor County, in opposing the import and transportation of crude oil and its potential threat of oil spills arising again to our fisheries, our seabirds and other coastal wildlife and their food sources, our livelihood, and our coastal way of life,” the resolution states.
Last week, the Elma City Council by a 4-1 vote approved a resolution requesting that the commissioners of the Port of Grays Harbor “reconsider their proposal to allow the construction of three marine terminals for the transfer of Bakken, tar sands and other crude oil,” which would travel on the rail tracks running through the middle of Elma.
The Elma council became the fourth city on the Harbor to make the request, with approval already coming from the councils in Westport, Aberdeen and Montesano.
The action on the Ocean Shores resolution had been scheduled along with a presentation to the council by the Port of Grays Harbor on the general operations and economics of the Port, which had to be rescheduled after equipment failures of the PowerPoint presentation at the previous council meeting. But the Port presentation was taken off the agenda by another scheduling conflict on Monday.
Councilwoman Jackie Farra has led efforts to bring the oil/port resolution forward, with support by Mayor Crystal Dingler.
“The citizens of the county elect the port commissioners and expect them to seek economic development through means that do not damage existing economic drivers like the marine fisheries, coastal environments and tourism,” the resolution states.
It says the council and the mayor “vigorously oppose efforts by the Port of Grays Harbor to allow the expansion of facilities on its properties for the storage and loading of crude oil onto barges and ships which would travel out through Grays Harbor north along coastal Washington and south along the coast of Oregon to distant refineries, endangering our environment and livelihoods.
All seven council members spoke in support of the resolution, and all audience comments from a crowd of about 50 people favored the action.
“I believe a lot of folks in our area believe this is not a good thing for Ocean Shores. We have been through an oil spill from an oil barge once before and we know what it is like,” Dingler said, referring to the 1989 bunker oil spill of 231,000 gallons from the barge Nestucca. “It’s not going to help our economy… . If we had oily beaches, I’m afraid our tourism economy would go south really quickly.”
Ocean Shores crab fisherman Larry Thevik, vice president of the Washington Dungeness Crab Association, thanked the council for the action. “My heart soars like a hawk,” said Thevik, an outspoken opponent of the crude oil shipping plans.
Thevik noted that tribal and non-tribal Dungeness crab catches average $44 million a year, with an annual economic benefit estimated to be between $80 million and $150 million a year.
“The crab fishery is just one of many marine resource-related jobs,” Thevik said.
Councilwoman Ginny Hill said she was “on the fence” about the resolution until recently when she learned the proposals to ship the oil through the Harbor won’t significantly create any new jobs.
Councilman Randy Scott noted he volunteered to clean oiled seabirds during the Nestucca spill, and he suggested the establishment of a water quality authority to ensure protection of the Harbor and its estuary.
“I believe the transportation, storage and shipping of crude oil has the potential to impact our water quality, the habitat of the greater estuary, our salmon and its habitat, groundfish and their habitat, candlefish, oysters, razor clams and crab — all that are important to the economy of our greater area,” Scott said.
Councilman Dan Overton suggested the Port was “lazy” in continuing to promote the crude oil shipping business.
“This does not show any creativity, and I would put it to them to try to come up with something a lot more creative. If they are looking for more industry or income, be creative,” Overton said.
Farra thanked the “whole council for really studying this issue. I’m very proud to be here tonight because of the decision you all have made.”
Joe Schumacker, marine resources scientist for the Quinault Indian Nation, noted that Quinault President Fawn Sharp and the tribal council urged him to attend the council meeting and express support for the resolution.
“We thank you for joining with the other communities around the Harbor that have taken this same step,” Schumacker said.
County Commissioner Frank Gordon was in the audience and said he wished he could convince his other two fellow commissioners, Herb Welch and Wes Cormier, to take a similar position.
“Kudos for you guys for having some guts,” Gordon told the council.
Ocean Shores resident Marlene Penry said the resolution needs to be followed through with more direct action.
“I would really like to see that our voice is not just heard tonight, but our voice keeps getting heard over and over and over again,” she said.
Oil shipping opponent Arthur Grunbaum, Friends of Grays Harbor president, noted the city could make its resolution public at a meeting Oct. 30 in Olympia to assess the health and safety risks of oil transport in the state. The meeting is from 5-10 p.m. at the Red Lion Hotel, 2300 Evergreen Park Dr. SW in Olympia.
The public also can comment until Nov. 3 on the scope of the environmental impact statement that is being prepared for one of the proposed projects — the Grays Harbor Rail Terminal Project, which would be the new proposed bulk liquids rail logistics facility at the Port of Grays Harbor terminal 3. The state Department of Ecology and the city of Hoquiam are co-lead agencies for the environmental review, being conducted under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA).
“Citizens are what make government happen and government change, and decisions change,” Grunbaum said.
Also, there is a public discussion on the health impacts of oil shipments in Grays Harbor on Saturday from 1-3 p.m. at the Hoquiam High School Little Theater, Grunbaum said. Physicians for Social Responsibility, Grays Harbor Audubon Society, Citizens for a Clean Harbor and Friends of Grays Harbor will be making presentations.
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