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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter of Support for Washington Department of Natural Resources FY25 NOAAA Marine Debris Removal Application - 011325 pF CON e Board of County Commissioners ��� O, 1820 Jefferson Street .16 PO Box 1220 Port Townsend, WA 98368 Heather Dudley-Nollette,District 1 Heidi Eisenhour,District 2 Greg Brotherton,District 3 SIIIN( � January 13, 2025 To: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce Andrew Mason NOAA Marine Debris Program 1305 East-West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910 RE: Letter of Support for Washington Department of Natural Resources FY25 NOAA Marine Debris Removal application. Dear Funder, Jefferson County is pleased to support the Washington Department of Natural Resources (WADNR) application for Formerly Federal Derelict Vessel Removal on Vulnerable Aquatic Lands. Jefferson County is an organization that often partners with WADNR. We understand the importance of WADNR's work to remove abandoned and derelict vessels (ADVs) that pose environmental or human health risk to Washington's waters. We appreciate WADNR's success as the state of Washington's primary mechanism for addressing ADVs through their Derelict Vessel Removal Program (DVRP) which has removed more than 1,378 abandoned or derelict vessels from Washington's waterways since being established in 2002. Jefferson County fully supports WADNR's proposal that will amplify efforts to remove abandoned and derelict vessels that are abandoned, sinking, and contaminating our precious waters, especially in underserved and overburdened communities that lack adequate resources. Jefferson County is directly connected to this request project because the 1944 Coast Guard Cutter included in the list below is located in Jefferson County. Formerly Federal Derelict Vessel Removal on Vulnerable Aquatic Lands will remove four large Abandoned Derelict Vessels (ADV) previously owned and auctioned by the Federal government: (Continued on next page) Phone(360) 385-9100 jeffbocc@co.jefferson.wa.us (Continued) 1. 1944 Coast Guard Cutter (83 ft) in Port Townsend Bay, Port Hadlock, Jefferson County WA 2. WW2 Sub-Chaser (110 ft) in the Columbia River near Longview, Cowlitz County WA. 3. 1944 Former Navy Seaplane Wrecking Derrick (101 ft) in the Snohomish River slough WA 4. 1944 Former US Army#7 Wooden Vessel (65 ft) in the Lewis River near the Columbia River, Woodland, Cowlitz County, WA Formerly Federal Derelict Vessel Removal on Vulnerable Aquatic Lands advances priorities in NOAA's 2012-2025 Marine Debris Program Strategic Plan and the 2021 Washington Marine Debris Plan. This project also aligns with the 2022-2026 Puget Sound Partnership Action Agenda that targets DVRP efforts seek federal funding for derelict vessel removal. We sincerely hope you can fund this project for the benefit of nearshore marine habitat in Jefferson County. Sincerely, tom- IINV Mir t ,mmjtVA� ei i is nhour, Chair, Dist. 2 reg :rothertist. 3 Heather Dudley-Nollette, Dist. 1 JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA REQUEST TO: Board of County Commissioners Mark McCauley, County Administrator FROM: Heidi Eisenhour, Commissioner DATE: January 13, 2025 SUBJECT: LETTER OF SUPPORT re: Washington Department of Natural Resources FY25 NOAA Marine Debris Removal application STATEMENT OF ISSUE: Jefferson County is an organization that partners with the Washington Department of Natural Resources regarding derelict vessels. We understand the importance of WADNR's work to remove abandoned and derelict vessels(ADVs)that pose environmental or human health risk to Washington's waters. We appreciate WADNR's success as the state of Washington's primary mechanism for addressing ADVs through their Derelict Vessel Removal Program(DVRP)which has removed more than 1,378 abandoned or derelict vessels from Washington's waterways since being established in 2002. With this proposal they are proposing to remove 4 Formerly Federal Derelict Vessel Removal on Vulnerable Aquatic Lands previously owned and auctioned by the Federal government.Jefferson County fully supports WADNR's proposal that will amplify efforts to remove abandoned and derelict vessels that are abandoned, sinking, and contaminating our precious waters,especially in underserved and overburdened communities that lack adequate resources.Jefferson County is directly connected to this request project because the 1944 Coast Guard Cutter included in the list below is located in Jefferson County. ANALYSIS: We appreciate WADNR's success as the state of Washington's primary mechanism for addressing ADVs through their Derelict Vessel Removal Program(DVRP)which has removed more than 1,378 abandoned or derelict vessels from Washington's waterways since being established in 2002. This proposal will take care of 4 more in our state and Jefferson County is directly connected to this request project because the 1944 Coast Guard Cutter included in the list below is located in Port Hadlock,Jefferson County. FISCAL IMPACT:None RECOMMENDATION: Discuss and send the included letter of support. REVIEWED BY: // /iL � 2 Mark McCauley, unty Administrator D to