1-18-2019
BREMERTON, Wash. — State Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced plans Thursday for joining a lawsuit against the U.S. Navy for Puget Sound pollution.
The Navy’s process of handling decommissioned vessels by scraping the hulls is leading to ongoing pollution of Sinclair Inlet and Ferguson says it is harming salmon and orcas.
The Navy cleaned a 60,000-ton decommissioned aircraft carrier hull in January 2017.
The process released approximately fifty dump-truck loads of waste into the Puget Sound including copper and zinc which are highly toxic to marine life.
A study conducted by the Navy found pollutants released far exceed standards and violates state and federal laws.
The Navy’s Puget Sound Naval Shipyard near Bremerton provides dock space for decommissioned, non-operational military vessels.
Last October, four submariners at this Kitsap County Naval base were investigated for sex crimes against an underage girl.