Lawmakers urge Inslee to declare state of emergency for Washington State Ferries

OLYMPIA, Wash. — More than a dozen Washington state lawmakers are pushing Gov. Jay Inslee to declare a state of emergency for Washington State Ferries (WSF).

The end goal of the move is to make it possible for the state to get two new ferries within two years.

“We have a state of emergency. The question is, do we have the political will to call it what it is,” said state Rep. Spencer Hutchins, (R) Gig Harbor.

KOMO News has documented countless issues WSF has had and continues to face. The WSF is working with fewer boats than it needs to fully run all of its routes, an aging fleet that requires a substantial amount of maintenance and repairs, a shortage of workers, and other mishaps.

Any single or combination of these issues often causes delays and cancellations in the service that people need to get to and from home, work, medical appointments, and more.

Rep. Hutchins and Rep. Andrew Barkis (R-Olympia) introduced bipartisan legislation calling on the governor to make the emergency declaration so he can use his power to acquire two non-hybrid electric ferries.

KOMO News asked Inslee for his thoughts on this bill, and although he said he hadn’t seen it, he did say, “I’m alert to any suggestions to do that, so I will welcome any suggestions, but I’m unaware of any real statutory impediment (to procurement), just a matter of getting the bids in.”

But WSF spokesperson Ian Sterling told KOMO News they don't plan to start taking bids until spring. He said WSF plans to meet with potential boat builders in the coming weeks before taking bids.

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The lawmakers behind House Bill 2498 said Inslee’s pursuit of hybrid-electric ferries resulted in skyrocketing costs and sluggish procurement.

"We are burning a cleaner boat, much cleaner than we were years ago as far as emissions go, but under this administration, there’s one priority, and his priority over all things has been climate over everything," said Barkis.

Instead of abandoning hybrid-electric vessels, Barkis and Hutchins said they support using biodiesel ferries until the market can provide functional, lower-cost electric options.

"The plan for the hybrid-electric boats is not until 2028, and that’s if everything goes right. Four years is a long time to wait to bring the service back up to what it should have been," said Charles Prestrud, a retired ferry worker, now with the Washington Policy Center.

Sterling told KOMO News WSF would like to find a vessel builder who could build two boats simultaneously, but still, he said the best-case scenario on getting the boats built and certified by the U.S. Coast Guard and working in the fleet would be in 2027 or even 2028.

KOMO News also asked the governor if he would be on board if that meant getting boats into the fleet in two years instead of four years or more. “We don’t believe that’s true. We don’t believe there’s any time difference between electric or diesel,” he answered.

WSF is struggling to maintain service across 10 routes, with just 21 boats, but what it needs is 26 boats.

“Everybody wants to blame somebody," Sterling said. "Blame the ferry system. Well, the ferry system's been working to get new boats for a long time."

The Legislature extended a contract with a local shipbuilder in 2019 to buy five new 144-car biodiesel ferries but Barkis and Hutchins blame Inslee's decision to transition all government fleets to zero-emission vehicles, including ferries for ultimately causing that contract to fall apart.

“Had they gone forward with that contract, at least two and maybe three ferries would already be in service,” Sterling said in January.

So now, House Bill 2498 is written to create a clear pathway for WSF to purchase two non-hybrid electric ferries using the existing 144-car design in an expedited manner with the goal of having the first new ferry delivered within two years.

By declaring a state of emergency, the governor would be able to cut through red tape and streamline permitting and procurement processes for that to happen, according to a press release from Barkis and Hutchins.

“We don’t believe that’s true. We don’t believe there’s any time difference between electric or diesel,” he answered.

Barkis told KOMO News this emergency declaration worked just last year, allowing the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to rebuild the Winona train trestle, after it was destroyed by a fire. Barkis said it was rebuilt in a matter of a few months, instead of the usual time frame of about two years,