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January 28, 2003
<br />
<br />"A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA,
<br />ENCOURAGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS
<br />FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE ENVIRONMENTALLY-HAZARDOUS JAMES RIVER
<br />RESERVE FLEET.
<br />
<br /> WHEREAS, the James River Reserve Fleet, commonly known as the Ghost
<br />Fleet, is moored on the James River near Fort Eustis; and
<br />
<br /> WHEREAS, the Reserve Fleet consists of 97 ships, 71 of which the United
<br />States Maritime Administration considers obsolete and has scheduled to be scrapped;
<br />and
<br />
<br /> WHEREAS, the Reserve Fleet holds 7.7 million gallons of oils and fuels
<br />according to the latest government estimates, a quantity slightly less than the quantity of
<br />oil the Exxon Valdez spilled off the shores of Alaska in 1989; and
<br />
<br /> WHEREAS, the Reserve Fleet poses a serious and increasing environmental
<br />threat to the Hampton Roads region according to a 2002 report created for the United
<br />States Maritime Administration, and a serious oil and/or gas spill from the decaying
<br />ships is no longer a mere possibility but a probability; and
<br />
<br /> WHEREAS, a large oil or gas leak would heavily pollute the waters, shores,
<br />beaches, and wetlands of Portsmouth, and other jurisdictions in proximity to the James
<br />River, causing hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars in environmental damage;
<br />and
<br />
<br /> WHEREAS, oil has leaked from the Reserve Fleet on several occasions since
<br />1998, and while these small leaks have not left lasting environmental damage, they
<br />have cost approximately $2 million to clean up; and
<br />
<br /> WHEREAS, the environmental risk is heightened by the threat of storm or
<br />hurricane related damage that could cause the release of toxic and hazardous materials
<br />into the water and on to the shores of Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton, James
<br />City County, Isle of Wight County, Suffolk and other coastal communities in Hampton
<br />Roads and along the banks of the James River; and
<br />
<br /> WHEREAS, the United States Congress has recognized that the James River
<br />Reserve Fleet poses an ecological and economic threat to the Hampton Roads Region
<br />and has ordered the Maritime Administration to remove the fleet by 2006. The cost to
<br />remove the obsolete vessels from the Reserve Fleet, to date, has been estimated at
<br />$177 million.
<br />
<br /> NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of
<br />Portsmouth, Virginia, that it hereby urges Congress to appropriate the necessary funds
<br />for the removal of obsolete, and environmentally-hazardous vessels from the James
<br />River Reserve Fleet, in order to protect the waters, shores, beaches, and wetlands of
<br />Portsmouth and the other jurisdictions in proximity to the James River from ecological
<br />disaster.
<br />
<br /> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Clerk be, and she hereby is, directed
<br />to forward a copy of this resolution to each member of the Virginia United States
<br />congressional delegation."
<br />
<br />Ayes: Benn, Griffin, Moody, Pitts, Randall, Whitehurst, Holley
<br />Nays: None
<br />
<br />03 - 30 - Adoption of a resolution authorizing an agreement between the City of
<br />Portsmouth and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) for construction of
<br />an access road into the Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preserve.
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