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Committee hears technical fix to tug escort statute aimed at protecting orcas and aligning law with rule
Summary
Committee staff and the Board of Pilotage Commissioners described HB 2436 as a statutory cleanup aligning the law with recently adopted rules on tug escort horsepower minimums for oil tankers operating in state waters to better protect the Salish Sea and southern resident killer whales.
The committee heard a briefing on HB 2436, a statutory technical fix intended to align the state's tug escort statute with administrative rules adopted by the Board of Pilotage Commissioners.
Jacob Lipson explained the current statute ties tug escort requirements to an aggregate shaft horsepower equal to a percentage of an escorted vessel's deadweight tonnage; HB 2436 corrects unit errors and aligns the statutory language with the Board's adopted rule, which staff and the Board say has resulted in standard practice to use tugs of at least 3,000 horsepower for the relevant vessel classes.
Representative Deborah Kanoff, sponsor, described the bill as "a cleanup bill, actually," and said the intent is to do "a little bit of a better job protecting the Salish Sea, Southern resident killer whales." Jamie Bever, executive director of the Washington State Board of Pilotage Commissioners, testified that the board adopted related rules on 12/21/2025 after research and consultation with tribes and stakeholders and that the rule found that the statutory requirements previously did not match industry standards or best practices.
The committee heard no further testimony and closed the hearing on HB 2436; the staff noted the practice described in statute is already being implemented under the board—s rules.
