The Associated Press
OLYMPIA — Gov. Chris Gregoire today signs a bill that requires shippers, tankers and large vessels to pay for a year-round rescue tug at Neah Bay.
Gregoire scheduled the signing for the 20th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound in Alaska.
The Neah Bay tug aids ships in danger of spilling oil in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and off Washington’s coast.
By 2010, owners of large ships that travel through the Strait of Juan de Fuca must create a permanent money source to maintain the rescue boat.
The tug has been stationed at Neah Bay mostly on a part-time basis since 1999 and paid for with state and federal money. In that time, it made 42 rescues.
