Domestic maritime industry

WHEREAS, The state of Washington is concerned about the well-1
being and safety of its residents and businesses, and seeks to 2
provide resilient communities, where resilience is defined as a 3
community's ability to withstand chronic stresses and acute shocks 4
while still maintaining essential functions and recovering quickly 5
and effectively; and 6
WHEREAS, Extreme weather events are occurring more frequently; 7
and 8
WHEREAS, The state of Washington sits on the Cascadia Subduction 9
Zone, a 1,000 kilometer long subduction zone stretching from British 10
Columbia to Oregon that could generate a 9.0 magnitude earthquake; 11
and 12
WHEREAS, The Puget Sound region has received funding from the 13
federal emergency management agency's regional catastrophic 14
preparedness grant program to address the risks facing the region in 15
the event of a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake; and16
WHEREAS, Access to energy during and soon after a natural 17
disaster can improve recovery timelines and maintain access to 18
critical services such as health care, food, and drinking water; and19
WHEREAS, The tugboat, towboat, and barge industry and the Pacific 20
Northwest economic region stand ready to create public-private 21
partnerships, develop action plans, and undertake pilot projects and 22
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2026-4680 , by Representatives Ryu, Bronoske, Simmons,
Reed, Abell, Paul, Berry, Zahn, Pollet, Keaton, Barnard, Morgan, and Parshley
p. 1 HR 4680
activities to improve regional disaster resilience cooperation and 1
emergency preparedness; and 2
WHEREAS, The domestic maritime industry has a history of first 3
response actions in the event of disaster, including removing over 4
500,000 people from lower Manhattan during the terrorist attacks of 5
September 11, 2001, and delivering food, water, baby formula, fuel, 6
electrical generators, and more to Maui after the devastating 7
wildfires of August 2023; and 8
WHEREAS, The domestic maritime industry in Washington state 9
employs 22,500 men and women that generate $1.5 billion in labor 10
income; and 11
WHEREAS, The domestic maritime industry in Washington state 12
stands ready to serve Washington residents in the event of a natural 13
disaster; and 14
WHEREAS, The domestic maritime industry is a critical component 15
to the economy of Washington state and its ability to recover rapidly 16
from natural disasters; 17
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington state House 18
of Representatives recognize the value of the domestic maritime 19
industry's ability to serve Washingtonians in the event of natural 20
disasters; and 21
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be 22
immediately transmitted by the Chief Clerk of the House of 23
Representatives to the representatives and senators, elected by the 24
citizens of Washington state, in the Congress of the United States of 25
America in Washington, D.C. 26
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p. 2 HR 4680