Washington AG Sent Letter to U.S. Navy Threatening Litigation Over Clean Water Act Violations in Puget Sound

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson delivered a letter to Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Navy Secretary Richard Spencer announcing his intent to sue the United States Navy for Clean Water Act violations in Puget Sound. The letter alleges that the Navy released the equivalent of fifty dump truck loads of pollutants, including copper and zinc, into the Sound when it scraped the hull of a 60,000-ton aircraft carrier, the former U.S.S. Independence, in January 2017. Copper and zinc are highly toxic to marine life and the Navy lacked a permit to lawfully discharge the pollutants into Puget Sound.

• Documents: LetterWA Press Release
• Document Type: Non-rulemaking Letters Press Releases/Statements
• States: Washington
• Agencies: Department of Defense
• Issues: Clean Water Act Public Lands & Wildlife Toxics Water Water Pollution Wildlife
• Era: Trump Administration
• Action Type: Other