State oil spill prevention will mark a historic first as the tug Hunter begins stand-by rescue tug duty at Neah Bay July 1 on a year’s contract.

Action by the Washington state legislature last session provided a full year of funding for contract services, an improvement over year-to-year partial funding for wintertime-only protection for the last nine years.

Since 1999, rescue tugs stationed at Neah Bay have stood by or assisted 40 distressed vessels that were disabled or had reduced maneuvering or propulsion capability while transporting oil and other cargo along the coast and through the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

“The state is to be congratulated for stepping up to fund the rescue tug for a full-year instead of just during the winter,” said Mike Sato, communications director of People For Puget Sound. “But this funding is a band aid solution because it is for only a year. A permanent, year-round funding solution must be found if we are to avoid a disaster in the Strait.”

In support of a long-term solution to having a rescue tug stationed at Neah Bay, People For Puget Sound and many organizations have asked Representative Rick Larsen and the state’s Congressional delegation to support Senator Maria Cantwell’s amendment to the Coast Guard Reauthorization Act (S. 1892) that would require the oil and shipping industries to pay for a permanent, year-round tug.

The state has budgeted $3.7 million for 365 days of tug stand-by duty this fiscal year.