Dicks: Navy might oppose pit-to-pier

10/18/2006

By Scott Wilson, Leader Staff Writer

The U.S. Navy will probably come out against the proposed Fred Hill Materials pit-to-pier project, according to U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Belfair.

The Navy, which operates the Bangor base for nuclear submarines just south of Fred Hill Materials' proposed Shine pit pier site on Hood Canal, has been monitoring developments on the controversial project and has not yet taken a position.

Dicks, a Bremerton native who represents the local congressional district and its heavy Navy presence, said he believes the Navy is opposed to the project that would bring ocean-going ships and barges under the Hood Canal Bridge.

"I know the Navy has real concerns," he told The Leader in Port Townsend on Tuesday. "I can tell you this: The Navy does not like this project. The Navy will take a position and it will be in opposition."

Dicks said he had spent part of Monday with a Navy admiral and other brass flying over military facilities in the region, but he did not say if they discussed the Fred Hill Materials project. Dicks made public his own opposition in January 2004, citing environmental concerns and safety concerns regarding the Hood Canal Bridge.

Fred Hill Materials (FHM), a gravel mining firm based in Poulsbo but with two active gravel pits in Jefferson County, has proposed constructing a four-mile conveyor belt and pier in the Shine area of Jefferson County to load gravel into barges and ships just south of the floating bridge. The project has generated active opposition from Shine residents as being out of scale and posing shipping hazards to the bridge. It is still moving through the permitting process, however.

A Navy spokesperson, Chris Hailey of Navy Region Northwest, said the Navy has not officially taken a position.

"If we need to [take a position] in the future, then we will," he said, "but we don't know whether it's an issue that we're going to have to weigh in on."

Dan Baskins, the FHM spokesperson, said the company has shared ample information with the Navy during the years the pit-to-pier project has been pending.

"Navy concerns have been foremost among some 20 government entities that are all part of a thorough review process," he said. "Naturally we've consulted with the Navy and apprised them of project details."

Baskins said that in the past the Navy "has expressed deep concern about the location of the pier, the national security of the pier" because of its proximity to Bangor. But he believes Navy concerns were allayed by the fact that only U.S. ships under the U.S. flag carrying U.S. product would be using the pier, which he described as "a relatively small load-out facility miles north of Bangor. In addition, FHM tugs would be available to assist the Navy if needed, he said.

If the Navy does come out in opposition based on national security concerns, Baskins said "we'd have to address that issue when it comes." He added that FHM has expressed its strong opinion that the bridge is in no danger of being damaged by barge or ship traffic from FHM.

Dicks, however, said he remains very worried about possible bridge damage. Trident nuclear submarines, of which 10 are expected to be home-ported at Bangor in the near future, must get through the bridge opening to get to and from their global tours of duty, he said.

Security, said Dicks, "is one of the reasons I'm so opposed to the Fred Hill Materials project," he said.

"It's noisy and it increases the risks to the bridge," he said. "Any time that bridge goes out we have real problems." Barges, said Dicks, "run into bridges every day."

To that, Baskins said that crossing under or through the Hood Canal Bridge is considered an easy crossing by skippers and crews. All barges would travel under the bridge's eastern span, a 230-foot opening. Ships would go through the center span, which is 600 feet wide. No examples have been found of a bridge-barge accident identical to the situation posed here, said Baskins.

He termed Dicks' position as "election year posturing." He also said the pier is a more environmentally safe transport system than dozens of gravel-laden trucks crossing the bridge daily.

Submarines, Indian Island

On another topic, Dicks said that security surrounding the submarines that transit Hood Canal and Admiralty Inlet past Jefferson County are on the increase. A new security measure has two leased cargo ships bracketing each Trident on its way to the open ocean, said Dicks. Smaller patrol boats also provide escort.

"The Navy is concerned about someone trying to ram a submarine," Dicks said, adding, "In the world we're in, we have to give these submarines more protection."

The importance of military shipping along Jefferson County's shores is growing, said the 30-year Democratic congressman. Naval Magazine Indian Island has become "one of the most important bases on the West Coast, one of the few places you can take an aircraft carrier and a Trident," he said. The traffic will probably increase with projected growth in the submarine fleet based at Bangor and the possible addition of another Northwest-based aircraft carrier, said Dicks, who has long served on the House Appropriations Subcommittee devoted to defense.

Dicks said he had heard recent concerns about Indian Island's relationship with the local community and said he's convinced the island is and will be "a good neighbor" to Jefferson County. He stressed that the island does not store nuclear weapons. Constituents with questions about Navy operations in this district are welcome to contact his office at 253-593-6536.

War in Iraq

Regarding the war in Iraq, Dicks said he now regrets voting to support the invasion of Iraq. The vote was made, he said, based on what he now recognizes as misleading information about the presence of weapons of mass destruction and a link between Iraq and Al Qaeda.

Dicks, who faces light opposition from Doug Cloud (R-Tacoma) in his re-election bid, said he hopes voters express a "tidal wave" of opposition to the Republicans by giving Democrats the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in the Nov. 7 election. He thinks Democrats could pick up 60 to 70 seats, which would give them a chance to force a new look at Iraq and at the role of private contractors making billions of dollars in Iraqi reconstruction, he said.

What to do about Iraq is not clear, however, he said. "They [the Republicans] have mishandled this thing," he said. "This is not going to be a comma in history. This is a big ugly mistake. We had the whole world with us [after 9/11], and now it's gone." Generals have made it clear that the Iraqi situation cannot be fixed with military power but needs a political solution. Dicks suggested that if the Iraqi government cannot quell the rebellion and avoid civil war, then the United States must pull out. The United States is spending $9 billion a month on Iraq, said Dicks.

If Democrats gain a majority in the House, Dicks stands to become one of Congress' most powerful members. If Rep. Richard Murtha (D-Pennsylvania) were to become Majority Leader, then Dicks would most likely become the chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. If Murtha stays on Appropriations, however, then Dicks would become the chairman of a key Interior subcommittee.

Dicks also said he's worried about a nuclear North Korea, particularly given that the U.S. military is stretched too thin by Iraq to respond on the ground.

"It's one big mess," he said.

(Contact Scott Wilson at swilson@ptleader.com.)