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Friday Harbor council to sign FTA support letter, asks how $80 million was allocated to ferry operations
Summary
Council agreed to sign a Federal Transit Administration support letter for rural ferry service while questioning how an $80 million operational award was distributed and heard a public pitch for a hydrogen, passenger‑only ferry service.
The Friday Harbor Town Council agreed May 7 to sign a draft letter supporting Washington State Ferries' application to the Federal Transit Administration's FY2026 rural ferry program but also pressed staff for details about an $80,000,000 award cited in the draft.
"Where did that $80,000,000 go? How much of that went to support the San Juan ferry run?" the mayor asked during discussion of a draft letter to the FTA. Council members noted that the referenced funds appeared to have been applied as statewide operating assistance rather than being specifically earmarked for the San Juan route.
Staff responded that the $80 million was distributed across Washington State Ferries as operational support during pandemic recovery and was not targeted only to the San Juan Islands. "It was an operational grant that decreased their operational total across Washington State Ferries," staff said.
Council members discussed including a cover letter expressing local expectations about how funds support rural and remote routes. "Any funds designated to support these routes should have enforcement mechanisms to make sure that happens," a council member said.
During the public‑comment period, County Councilmember Carrie McVeigh described exploratory talks with Switch Maritime about hydrogen‑fueled, passenger‑only ferries and said one preliminary operating estimate was about $10,000,000 a year for a 150‑passenger route linking Friday Harbor with Bellingham and other islands. "They operate everything which would take out the issues with Washington State Ferries," McVeigh said, but she acknowledged labor and operating costs remain significant obstacles.
The council authorized staff to sign the FTA letter, with the understanding it may accompany a local cover letter seeking clarity on how FTA and state operational funds benefit remote island service.
Next steps: staff will finalize the letter to the FTA and prepare an accompanying local cover letter that asks for clearer accountability on how federal and state dollars support San Juan County ferry service.
