FGI Responds To DNS May 10, 2008 Dear Friends of Guemes Island: It's no great surprise that Skagit County this week issued a formal Declaration of Non-Significance (DNS) for the extended weekday Guemes Island ferry hours. In his ruling last year, Snohomish County Superior Court Judge James Allendoerfer required Skagit County to consider the potential environmental effects of the later runs, particularly with regard to more island development that would threaten our sole-source aquifer. The judge wanted much more homework done on State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA) requirements -- precisely the work that Skagit County first ignored when they started the later runs, and attempted to do in rush (after the late runs had already begun) to prepare for trial when FGI took Skagit County to court. Judge Allendoerfer did not mince words in his ruling last year. He wanted the County to do more inquiry on the Guemes Island water supply, stating "it's been more than ten years since Skagit County has studied the aquifer."
So what did Skagit County say in their DNS about the island's water supply? They did no further study of the hydrogeology, but instead blamed the islanders. It's our fault. Saltwater intrusion in wells is "limited to specific locations and due principally to faulty design." This is in spite of the USGS Guemes Island map showing red-marked, salt-affected wells looking like spots on a smallpox patient. It's our fault we have those spots. Does the County admit any responsibility for promoting development with what Judge Allendoerfer termed the later "commuter ferry?" No, "development happens" is the County's mantra. Read their DNS, which is posted on linetime.org, and you will get angry. But in your anger reserve some gratitude for Skagit County being so incompetent as to not do the one thing the Judge asked - study the aquifer. In his decision, Judge Allendorfer said he would grade the County's homework on this matter. This is why, should the Skagit County Commissioners vote in June to make the two year trial run of late weeknight ferry runs permanent, FGI feels confident in returning to Judge Allendoerfer's court one more time to grade the county's homework and give them a big red NC for "not complete" and have this worthless DNS thrown out. So stay tuned for more information as this saga continues to unfold. And, watch for a notice from FGI about the scheduling of the Board of County Commissioners deliberations on the future of the late weeknight ferry runs. This will likely happen sometime in June. As many of us as is possible should plan on attending that meeting, and letting the Commissioners know exactly what we think, should they once again make the wrong decision. The FGI Board of Directors Final Court Order, November 5, 2007 [732kb PDF] |
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