Mayor Mike McGinn, Congressman Jim McDermott, City Councilmember Jean Godden, other elected officials and industry leaders gathered for a press conference Thursday morning, July, 8 to urge United States Commerce Secretary and former Washington State Governor Gary Locke to intervene to consider using existing federal facilities in Seattle for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Operations Center-Pacific homeport.

The group gathered at Herring’s House Park, 4460 W Marginal Way SW, across the Duwamish River from Federal Center South, one of the two existing federal facilities that could house the NOAA fleet. They restated that consolidating NOAA’s operations in Seattle at existing federal facilities is the best option for NOAA to achieve its mission and the best deal for federal taxpayers. They signed a joint letter, the latest effort of a years-long program to retain the marine center in Seattle, where it has made its home for more than 50 years. The Department of Commerce’s Inspector General Report concluded that NOAA violated its own rules by not considering existing federal facilities before starting the process that led to choosing Newport, Oregon as their homeport.

TO READ THE LETTER SENT CLICK THE LINK AT UPPER RIGHT

“We urge Secretary of Commerce Locke to take a look again at NOAA’s process and consider existing federal facilities for the Marine Operations Center-Pacific homeport,” said Mayor McGinn. “We believe this action will save taxpayers millions of dollars. I thank Senator Cantwell and Congressman McDermott for their leadership in holding the federal government accountable for this deeply flawed process.”

“If you read between the lines the decision was (already) made when they started looking," said McDermott. "They never seriously looked here. They only talked to the people that had it before and couldn't make a deal with them and said 'We're outta' here.' In my view this is the biggest fraud (regarding) what's gone on here. They violated the law that says GSA (United States General Services Administration) is supposed to evaluate this location but NOAA did it themselves. NOAA failed to considered existing Federal properties. They never even asked the question about putting the ships in Lake Washington next to NOAA's operation out there (...) They were going somewhere else.

"I have long held that it was both bad judgment and bad policy for NOAA to ignore so many critical factors when deciding a location for its Marine Operations Center-Pacific,” Rep. McDermott said. “Now both the Government Accountability Office and the Commerce Department’s own Inspector General have confirmed what many of us have known for a long time: this process was badly botched from the beginning.”

In August, 2009, NOAA announced its decision to move from Seattle, awarding a 20-year lease to the Port of Newport, Ore. That decision was appealed to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and sustained because NOAA violated its own solicitation rules by proposing a facility in a floodplain.

In February, 2010, the City of Seattle originally proposed that the Department of Commerce and NOAA include the Western Regional Center at Sand Point and Federal Center South in their evaluation of potential sites.

“The city’s proposal would have saved tens of millions of taxpayer dollars, but fell on deaf ears at the Department of Commerce,” said Councilmember Godden. “In light of the Inspector General’s report, we insist on a fair review.”

Retaining the marine center in Seattle would preserve approximately 1,450 well paid direct and indirect jobs and $180 million in economic activity in the area.

“It makes good business sense for the marine center to remain in Seattle,” said Admiral John Lockwood, ret., Director, Marketing and Business Development, Todd Pacific Shipyards. “Our community offers freshwater moorage, an experienced and plentiful workforce, proximity to a robust maritime industrial base, and strategic access to NOAA’s Western Regional Center at Sandpoint and UW researchers.”

There is broad community backing to retain the marine center in Seattle. Neighborhood groups such as Friends of Magnuson Park and the Laurelhurst Community Club are supportive of expanded NOAA operations at Western Regional Center at Sand Point and Federal Center South.