Summary

Executive Constantine today issued a statement in regard to the City of Seattle's Department of Planning and Development denying a request by Shell Oil to establish an Arctic drilling operation at the Port of Seattle's Terminal 5.

Story

"I commend the City of Seattle for ensuring that all rules are followed as Shell Oil seeks to site its Arctic drilling fleet at the Port of Seattle's Terminal 5. We are in a race against time to drastically reduce carbon emissions while preparing as best we can for the impacts of diminishing snowpack and rising sea levels.

"Instead of putting all our effort into real economic development - like highly profitable clean-energy technology and manufacturing - we're being asked to allow our publicly-owned port facilities to play host to Arctic oil-drilling operations, accelerating an already dire local and global crisis.

"This is the wrong direction for any community, but doubly so for King County, with our environmental ethic and our enormous capacity to invent the future. We should be using our resources to support innovative companies that are creating 21st-century energy solutions rather than fossil-fuel operations that threaten both Arctic waters and our entire planet. Let's invest in economic activity that keeps us competitive in the global market and sustains our environment and quality of life.

"And as a state that depends heavily on trade, we should be wary of making container ships compete with fossil-fuel-drilling vessels for space at our ports."