The nonprofit Newport Fishermen's Wives, along with the port and city of Newport and Lincoln County, is suing the U.S. Coast Guard over the possible closure of the Newport Search and Rescue Station.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Coast Guard announced that they would close the search and rescue station located in Newport. The closure (pdf) could happen as soon as December 15.
Coastal community members and Oregon lawmakers have said that closing the rescue station would put fishermen and boaters lives at risk. If the Newport station closes, all future search and rescue missions would be come from Astoria and North Bend adding time to search and rescue missions, which some argue could be fatal.
Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander Joe Klinker provided this statement:
The Coast Guard has a long heritage and proud tradition of saving lives. We'll continue that tradition with highly trained search and rescue professionals, always on call and committed to assisting mariners in need. In Newport and throughout the region, we will continue to meet and exceed the national search and rescue standards.
We'll hear about the case from Mike Haglund, a Portland lawyer representing the and the other plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The U.S. Coast Guard declined our request to join the conversation.
Editor's note: This post has been changed to accurately reflect the list of plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
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