safe shipping

Friends Secures Safer Waters for Southern Resident Killer Whales

September 18, 2024

Friends of the San Juans has long been a vigilant protector of the Salish Sea, with a steady focus on safeguarding the endangered Southern Resident killer whales. This spring and summer, we entered important talks with Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery about their project to produce Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Their original plan involved up to ... read more

Governor Inslee with Friends

September 7, 2024

On August 24, 2024, Friends of the San Juans was honored to host Governor Jay Inslee and his wife, Trudi, on a tour of the San Juans’ vibrant kelp and eelgrass beds. We explored these crucial marine ecosystems and highlighted the contributions of the Climate Commitment Act, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions ... read more

Friends’ Action Ensures Refinery Project Will Not Impact Southern Resident killer whales

September 25, 2023

Friends of the San Juans took action against Whatcom County’s permit decision for a Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery project, involving a new pipe bridge and relocating underground pipelines to above-ground. Phillips 66’s application lacked clarity about the purpose of these pipes, including their potential role in crude oil or refined product transfers at the refinery’s ... read more

United Front Against Roberts Bank Terminal 2

June 20, 2023

Sign up for our action alerts! Be sure to select "Regional Action Alerts" from the list of emails you want to receive! Email us at [email protected] and let us know you are especially interested in taking action against Roberts Bank Terminal 2, and we'll make sure to update you as opportunities arise. For Immediate Release ... read more

Reject Roberts Bank Terminal 2!

June 5, 2023

Help protect Southern Resident killer whales and Chinook salmon!  Your quick action by June 8th is needed to help reduce the impacts of a new off-shore/over-water shipping terminal the size of 202 football fields! This new terminal would decimate critical habitat and increase vessel traffic impacts and oil spill risks in the transboundary Salish Sea. ... read more

Take Action—Ecology Needs to Hear from You!

January 26, 2023

We have an opportunity for you to help Southern Residents, salmon, and all the inhabitants that rely on a healthy Salish Sea!   The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) has issued a draft rule to reduce threats to Southern Resident killer whales by improving the safety of oil transportation.  As a result of a devasting ... read more

Understanding Ecology’s rulemaking to reduce oil spill risks and impacts 

January 26, 2023

This page provides detailed background information on Ecology’s rulemaking to amend Chapter 173-180 WAC, Facility Oil Handling Standards and Chapter 173-184 WAC, Vessel Oil Transfer Advance Notice and Containment Requirements Ready to take action? Head on over to Take Action – Ecology Needs to Hear from You! According to the Department of Ecology, each year in Washington State there are ... read more

Important Lessons Learned From an Oil Spill

September 21, 2022

On Saturday, September 17th, the fishing vessel ALEUTIAN ISLE was successfully lifted more than 200 feet from the ocean floor, five weeks after it sank off the west side of San Juan Island. On September 20th the remaining fuel onboard the vessel was removed. Friends of the San Juans is grateful that the threat of ... read more

Phillips 66 Canceled Their Permit Following Legal Action From Friends of the San Juans

September 21, 2022

More good news resulting from Friends’ legal victory against fossil-fuel giant Phillips 66: The permit that was litigated has been officially withdrawn and the project to construct two new storage tanks has been canceled. Had the permit been issued, the storage tanks would have increased the Phillips 66 refinery’s operational storage capacity by nearly 10%, ... read more

The Sinking of the ALEUTIAN ISLE

August 25, 2022

On Saturday, August 13th the fishing vessel ALEUTIAN ISLE sank off the west side of San Juan Island. Our hearts go out to the people on board who were directly affected by the accident, and our sincere thanks go out to everyone who has been involved in the rescue of the crew and the response ... read more

It’s important to us that any organization we are involved with actually gets things done, and the work that the Friends takes on so capably really does make a difference.

Ken and Mariann Carrasco

members, Orcas Island