The SunBreak
posted 02/12/10 01:50 PM | updated 02/12/10 01:50 PM
Featured Post! | Views: 0 | Comments : 0 | Science

Seattle Makes NOAA a Floodplain-Free Offer

By Michael van Baker
Editor
Recommend this story (0 votes)

This photo has nothing to do with Sand Point.

This just in over the e-wire: "In a letter sent today to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Under Secretary Jane Lubchenco, Mayor Mike McGinn and the Seattle City Council argued that consolidating NOAA’s operations in Seattle at existing federal facilities is the best option for NOAA to achieve its mission and the best deal for federal taxpayers."

(Note to the Mayor: My mother would prefer you went by Michael, at least on official documents.)

The Seattle sites up for NOAA grabs are the Western Regional Center at Sand Point and Federal Center South, both conspicuously not located in a floodplain. (Due to pressure from, well, everyone outside of Newport, OR, but specifically a protest from the Port of Bellingham, NOAA has had to go back and prove the necessity of leaving Seattle to build in Newport, which is in floodplain territory.)

There are real heavyweights involved here--NOAA provides employment for 1,200 people, directly and indirectly, and is said to pump about $180 million in economic activity into the area. That's why we're presented with the unusual sight of the International Association of Machinist Local 160 linking arms with the Laurelhurst Community Club.

NOAA's reassessment should finish up by the end of May 2010.

Save and Share this article
Permalink
Tags: noaa, mcginn, floodplain, bellingham, newport, city council, sandpoint + add tags
savecancel
CommentsRSS Feed
Add Your Comment
Name:
Email:
(will not be displayed)
Subject:
Comment: