NEAH BAY — A rescue tug will be stationed at the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca again next winter to respond to vessels in trouble and prevent oil spills.
State lawmakers gave partial funding to the tug with a $1.7 million thumbs up when the biennial budget passed the state Senate.
The state House had previously approved the budget, which includes funding for the tug to be stationed at Neah Bay during the 2001-2002 fiscal year.
Gov. Gary Locke is expectd to sign the budget into law.
The budget funds a tug for a “minimum” of 200 days during the upcoming winter, Rep. Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, said Thursday.
“We’ve got some money in there for the rescue tug,” said Kessler, the House co-majority leader.
“But we really only gave partial funding for the tug.”
Details appear in the Friday/Saturday weekend edition of the Peninsula Daily News, only 35 cents at newsstands across Clallam and Jefferson counties. Beyond the counties, order your copy via U.S. mail by clicking onto “Subscribe.”
