Washington state seeks comments on oil-spill response plan

The Washington Department of Ecology is soliciting opinions on its recently completed draft contingency plan that outlines how responders would tackle an oil spill near the Nooksack River.

The document is available for review and comment through Dec. 12. It features 39 strategies designed to reduce damage to sensitive natural, cultural and economic resources during an oil spill, according to a department press release.

The plan considers risks from oil trains, pipelines and tanker trucks. The Trans Mountain pipeline includes a 19-mile stretch that crosses the Nooksack River and several tributaries; the Olympic Pipeline has an 8-mile stretch with a river crossing, and oil trains travel across the river in Ferndale.

The river starts in the Cascade Mountains near Mount Baker and extends 80 miles through Whatcom County into Bellingham Bay.