Lee Metcalf: “on March 6, the United States Supreme Court invalidated Washington State's standards for oil tankers entering their…”

“on March 6, the United States Supreme Court invalidated Washington State's standards for oil tankers entering their waters. That is, it invalidated Washington State's effort to control the tankers in their waters and, in doing so, potentially invalidated laws in 11 other States. Even while admitting that Federal and international laws may be insufficient protection, the court refused to allow States to protect their own waters. That is hard to believe, but that is what the United States Supreme Court did. We all remember the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska in 1989. The huge oil tanker ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska, dumping 11 million gallons of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean and damaging more than 1,000 miles of coastline in south-central Alaska. The massive spill resulted in billions of dollars in damage claims by over 40,000 people, including some 6,500 Washington State fishermen who have yet to be compensated for their loss. In response to the Valdez spill, my home State of Washington and many other coastline States issued tougher laws to prevent another catastrophe.”