OK, it’s time for a blitz! Contact Congress now! Decision time draws nigh on a $20 million federal grant to apply to the Lummi Island ferry replacement project.
Certainly, recent events—an overnight outage just before dry dock, and three outages since dry dock capped by the official County Emergency Act on Oct. 28–have underscored the urgency of replacing the Whatcom Chief.
The Lummi Island Ferry Advisory Committee (LIFAC) and Whatcom County Public Works urge you to take time immediately to write, call, and/or post on social media to our Congressional delegation. From the contact links below, find 15 minutes to do all three!
Also ask relatives, neighbors, friends, business connections, service providers, et al, to follow suit.
Request the delegates to ask U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for approval of this essential infrastructure funding–a RAISE Grant.
Your outreach to U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and U.S. Representatives Rick Larsen and Suzan DelBene will help immensely. Contact links appear below. Let them know how vital the ferry is to you, personally, and its widespread impact:
- The ferry annually runs roughly the equivalent of a trip around the world (23,000 one-mile trips).
- And it peaked at over 200,000 riders in the year before the pandemic.
The process is easy and convenient:
- The delegation’s websites provide an email form and regular mail addresses (individual links listed below).
- Call and you will either reach an aide or you can leave a message.
- Finally, they all invite comments on their social media accounts: Twitter, Linked In, Facebook, etc.
Cut-and-paste or read the following text. Better yet, leave a personal message for greater impact–a story that illustrates how vital the ferry is to your daily life, e.g., safety, health and well-being….perhaps your experience during the recent emergency shutdown, or a medical or other emergency experience. (LIFAC and Public Works both have received feedback from Rep. DelBene who was moved by a personal story from an islander.)
Sample template:
Dear Senator/Representative ___________ (select title and fill in name),
Please contact Secretary Pete Buttigieg at the Department of Transportation and urge him to approve Whatcom County’s application for a federal RAISE Grant of $20 million for our desperately needed new ferry.
The current ferry is almost 60 years old. Recently, it experienced breakdowns four times, twice overnight, and left hundreds in a bind on both Lummi Island and the mainland–some with immediate medical issues. Essential service providers were stuck on both sides.
Our ferry is the bridge and lifeline for safety and health emergencies. It’s the sole public transportation for about 1,000 residents, plus visiting family and friends, other property owners, and thousands of annual visitors, It is essential to goods and services delivery.
The ferry annually makes 23,000 trips—a mile on each run—nearly equal to a trip around the earth. And it peaked at servicing more than 200,000 riders the year before the pandemic.
It’s urgent that Whatcom County obtains the $20 million RAISE Grant for the health, safety, and welfare of all ferry stakeholders in Whatcom County and beyond.
Sincerely,
[forms will ask for:]
(Name)
(Address)
(Phone number)
(Email address)
Link to write to U.S. Senator Patty Murray
Link to write to U.S. Senator. Maria Cantwell
Link to write to U.S. Representative Suzan DelBene, District 1 (includes Lummi Island)
U.S. Representative Rick Larsen’s website accepts only email communication from persons in District 2 (Bellingham and large parts of Whatcom County). But a top aide offered to take emails (Kevin.Phan@mail.house.gov and/or phone messages (425-252-3188 [ Fax: 833-696-6499 ] that he will then enter into Representative Larsen’s cache for attention.
Also, you can write directly to Secretary Buttigieg (address here).
Phone contacts for Congressional delegation:
- Senator Murray, 206-553-5545
- Senator Cantwell, 202-224-3441
- Representative DelBene, 425-485-0085
- Representative Larsen, 425-252-3188
The more the delegates are contacted, the better. If you’ve written or called already, thank you; now do it again. If not, please do so now.
***
Noteworthy for possible mention:
Sen. Murray states on her website that “federal grants are a high priority for me” with a staff member dedicated to that issue.
Rep. DelBene has contacted both Public Works and LIFAC about interest in the grant.
Rep. Larsen serves on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure that has oversight of the Dept. of Transportation. He has spoken personally to Sec. Buttigieg about Lummi Island’s ferry issue and made Public Works well aware of the magnitude of the grant.