Oil Spill Cleanup Exceeds $1M
Coast Guard Boards Ships In Search For Culprit
Posted: 8:55 am PDT October 19,
2004Updated: 11:10 am PDT October 19,
2004
The cleanup bill for the Puget Sound oil spill exceeds $1 million, officials said.
Ninety percent of the money will come from a federal tax on the oil industry.
Crews continued Monday to work to clean up the spill, which primarily hit the south ends of Vashon and Maury islands.
The Coast Guard has issued subpoenas to individuals and vessels in the search for whomever is responsible for spilling at least 1,000 gallons of heavy-grade fuel oil. Coast Guard inspectors in Alaska boarded four ships, looking for possible evidence in the case, KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reported.
If the party responsible for the spill can be identified, it would be forced to pay compensation.
About 200 people attended a community meeting Monday night on Vashon Island about the spill.
They questioned state and Coast Guard officials about the slow start on cleanup work on Thursday. Officials said they were delayed by fog.
Copyright 2005 by KIROTV.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.