Coast Guard Bill HR 2830.

The Daily Astorian Editor is concerned about the Julia Butler Hansen Federal WildLife Refuge, what about our refuge, the folks living on Puget Island, WA.?

Thanks to The Daily Astorian for their excellent coverage of this nightmare issue.

Coast Guard's misgivings are real
LNG tankers are a security risk
The $8.4 billion Coast Guard bill that overwhelmingly passed the U.S. House last week contains much of local relevance, most notably a requirement that the USCG must enforce security zones around liquefied natural gas terminals and arriving tankers.

It will come as a surprise to many here that there previously was no such rule. Although the Coast Guard provides some security for LNG sites and ships, USCG Commandant Adm. Thad Allen strenuously objected last week to having LNG duties written into law, something he said robs the Coast Guard of "necessary discretion and flexibility to meet our mission demands in an often-changing, dangerous operating environment."

President Bush threatens to veto the bill, both because of the Coast Guard's objections and because it amounts to an "unwarranted subsidy" to LNG firms. The bill's vote of 395-7 effectively makes it veto proof.

The administration has never shown any previous compunctions about subsidizing corporations, but concerns about overtaxing and micromanaging the Coast Guard have more validity.

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