In the wake of three recent oil spills, a group focused on protecting Puget Sound is reconvening a committee that makes recommendations on how to reduce the risk of spills.
The Puget Sound Partnership will gather environmentalists, government officials, citizens and tribal leaders to evaluate oil spill risks and make suggestions on how to reduce them to Gov. Chris Gregoire and the Legislature.
On Saturday, a fishing vessel spilled 100 gallons of diesel fuel in the Hylebos Waterway in Tacoma. A work barge sank the same day in Gig Harbor, spilling an unknown amount of fuel.
On Friday, a landing craft carrying 400 gallons of oil sank south of Alki Point in West Seattle and affected two miles of shoreline.
“If we had a large spill, the damage to our ecosystem, economy and quality of life would be catastrophic,” Partnership Executive Director Gerry O’Keefe said. “It’s also a threat that we can and should confront.”
More than 2,400 ships, fuel barges and oil tankers carrying an estimated 22 billion gallons of oil made 10,000 trips through Puget Sound last year, according to the partnership.
The state Department of Ecology has said that a major oil spill could cost the state’s economy $11 billion and affect 165,000 jobs.
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Read more: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/10/18/1870325/group-to-analyze-how-to-reduce.html#ixzz1bHCU0Vmi
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