Oil tankers in Juan de Fuca Strait:
1977 rules on oil ports stay intact

By Kimberly Wetzel
Medill News Service
Seattle Times
7 October 2005

WASHINGTON - A House committee yesterday struck down a portion of an energy bill that Washington state lawmakers warned would increase the risk of an oil spill in Puget Sound.

The House Rules Committee removed proposed changes to the Magnuson Amendment, a 1977 law that caps oil-refinery expansion and the number of oil tankers moving through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound.

"This is a big victory for Puget Sound," said Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Bainbridge Island, who testified against the bill before the committee. "We really dodged a bullet on this. We're very happy with the outcome."

Legislators were concerned that changing key portions of the Magnuson Amendment would have meant more tanker traffic in the Sound, increasing the danger of a spill. More than 600 tankers entered Puget Sound last year.

The amendment, written by the late U.S. Sen. Warren Magnuson, D-Wash., prevents oil companies from expanding their Puget Sound operations beyond what's needed to serve the growing energy demands of Washington residents.

The bipartisan effort to keep the amendment intact was led by Inslee, Rep. Norman Dicks, D-Bremerton; Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Auburn; and Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell, who had vowed to fight the provision if it made it to the Senate.

The broader energy bill would streamline refinery expansion in response to the damage of Gulf Coast oil-production facilities by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. It was to go to the House floor today without proposed changes to the Magnuson Amendment.

Washington legislators said they were upset the provision was included as part of the bill, noting they weren't consulted or even told about it until three days ago.

"Since the provision had little impact on the ability to increase refining capacity in our state, we were concerned that it should not set a future precedent," Dicks said. "This is a great victory for our delegation."

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, agreed to remove the provision at yesterday's hearing. Barton's staff members declined to comment yesterday.

Both Inslee and Dicks said committee members probably were swayed by Reichert, the sole Republican in the state delegation opposing the change.

Reichert is in his first term in the House, representing a district that has become more concerned about environmental issues over the years.

Mike Shields, Reichert's chief of staff, said the congressman was pleased with the effort.

"It was a triumph of bipartisanship," Shields said. "In a short amount of time, these congressmen were able to work together."

Earlier yesterday, Reichert, Inslee and Cantwell wrote congressional leaders, asking that the provision be removed.