New provisions in the 2019 Coast Guard Reauthorization Act include a study to explore the need for a vertical tsunami evacuation structure at or near Coast Guard Station Grays Harbor in Westport.
According to a statement from Sen. Maria Cantwell’s office, the Act contains provisions to “help secure tsunami vertical evacuation infrastructure for Coast Guard members and their families stationed in Grays Harbor. It also takes into account the evacuation needs of the surrounding community.”
“We know that it’s important for our communities to continue to improve safety, and that is why this bill requires a GAO (U.S. Government Accountability Office) study to make recommendations regarding tsunami vertical evacuation infrastructure needs,” said Cantwell. “So much of Washington’s coast is populated by communities that don’t have the resources to prepare for the response, and this bill will help in providing resources to make sure communities are planning for such an event.”
The bill passed out of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation July 31. Cantwell is the ranking member of the committee.
Section 278 of the Act is titled, “Comptroller General of the United States and Report on Vertical Evacuation for Tsunamis at Coast Guard Station Grays Harbor, Washington.”
The section directs the comptroller general of the United States, who heads the GAO, to “conduct a study examining the potential use, in the event of a Cascadia subduction zone event, of a vertical evacuation of Coast Guard personnel stationed” at the Westport Coast Guard Station, “and the dependents of such Coast Guard personnel housed in Coast Guard housing.”
The study would include the number of personnel and dependants to be evacuated, the available resources to conduct such an evacuation, the amount of time needed to evacuate personnel and dependents, and “the benefit to the surrounding community of such a vertical evacuation.”
Other provisions of the Act include ensuring Coast Guard members are paid in the event of a government shutdown; create two new advisory boards to address issues facing women in the Coast Guard; the creation of a public strategy to improve the culture of inclusion and diversity in the Coast Guard; and creating new programs and resources to improve access to child care for Coast Guard families, according to Cantwell.
“In the state of Washington, we have a proud maritime heritage, so the Coast Guard is an integral part of our community,” Cantwell said. “This legislation moves the ball forward on important priorities for the men and women that work for the Coast Guard.”
The House of Representatives passed the bill July 24. After passing the Senate Commerce Committee, the legislation now moves on for consideration before the full Senate.
The bill also includes provisions to:
Improve oil spill prevention and research
The legislation codifies a number of recommendations by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to reduce the risk of vessel casualties and oil spills and improve vessel traffic safety. It requires the U.S. research plan to improve oil spill prevention and response to be updated every 10 years, with mandatory feedback from the National Academy of Sciences to ensure the most up-to-date science is being applied. The legislation also requires research and technology evaluations for all classes of oil, including heavy oils, to ensure the Coast Guard and other agencies have the knowledge and technology necessary to clean up tar sands oil.
Protect southern resident orcas
The legislation requires the Coast Guard to work with the state of Washington, Tribes, and others to establish a pilot program to reduce impacts of vessel noise from large shipping traffic on southern resident orcas. It also requires an assessment and new recommendations to improve Coast Guard efforts to enforce small vessel traffic buffer zones in Puget Sound to minimize small vessel noise and disturbance to orcas.
Authorize new icebreakers
The legislation authorizes three new heavy icebreakers that will be home ported in Seattle. It also authorizes three new medium icebreakers for the first time.
“I believe that the Arctic is a national security issue,” said Cantwell. “If we want ships to pass through the Arctic as other countries do – because it is a cheaper, faster way from Asia to Europe – and we want to have access to that in an untold way, and we want fishing and environmental issues to be addressed, we too need to recognize that we need an icebreaking fleet.”
