Dear Governor Inslee,
Harry Truman stated “The Buck Stops Here” meaning he took ultimate responsibility for all government activities under his control. Governor Inslee, in this case, the buck stops with you. As I pointed out in my (enclosed) letter dated September 26, 2022, the Washington State Ferry System is unreliable.
The Ferry System is not only short of vessels but has no reserve vessels in the event of a breakdown. We are now told the soonest we can expect a new vessel to be constructed will be five years in the future. The ferry Evergreen State was advertised for sale in 2016 and sold in 2017. Its sister vessel (the Tillicum, age 64) is still in service as the inter-island vessel in the San Juan Islands. If the Evergreen State required repairs, why was it not repaired and retained in service?
We are now told the next five new vessels will be battery-powered. Why not build one battery-powered vessel as a trial to test its efficiency and reliability before building a fleet of them? If this system expects 50 or 60 years of service from a vessel they may determine diesel-electric is more cost-effective over the course of 50 or 60 years.
We have a current RCW on the books stating that all new vessels must be built in the state of Washington. We do not have enough shipbuilders in Washington to get competitive bids. The bids should be put out nation-wide in order to receive the most cost-effective bid. Why should the Washington taxpayers pay more than necessary?
In my letter dated Sept. 26, I pointed out the unreliability problems. The problem has only multiplied. Almost daily one or more sailings in the San Juan Islands is canceled due to crew shortage. On May 9 two vessels were out of service at the same time due to crew shortage. We often hear on the news media of job fairs or hiring bonuses. As the crew shortage problem has only worsened, why hasn’t the ferry system had job fairs? It has been over three years since you announced the first mask requirement due to COVID. Many ferry crew members were terminated as they chose not to be vaccinated for COVID. If the ferry system had capable management this would have been a clue that the system would have future crewing problems unless training was initiated for new crew members. Now, three years later, the system is still short of crew.
The residents of the San Juan Islands depend 100 percent on the ferry system. We have no bridges and no other means of transportation between the island and the mainland. On the other hand, residents of Bremerton and Bainbridge have the ability to drive to Seattle via the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. In the event of a crew shortage, why not send the existing crews to the San Juan routes and let the down-sound vessels remain idle?
Over the Memorial Day weekend we were notified early one morning that two of the four vessels on the San Juan Islands run were out of service due to “crew shortage.” Excuse after excuse. Governor Inslee, again, this is YOUR responsibility.
Sincerely,
David and Roberta Moorhouse.
Friday Harbor
