Lawmakers Seeking Federal Funds to Keep Ferries Afloat - The Kitsap Sun

SEATTLE —

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen are pursuing federal dollars that could take a big chunk out of Washington State Ferries’ funding gap.

The ferry system’s final long-range plan, released Tuesday night, shows a $3.3 billion deficit over the next 22 years. If Murray and Larsen succeed, WSF would receive at least $40 million a year from the feds.

“It’s not the complete answer,” ferries director David Moseley said during a news conference in a Colman Dock parking lot Wednesday morning. “The state would still have a huge responsibility, but $40 million a year over the 22-year life of the plan is $900 million.”

The U.S. Ferry Systems Investment Act of 2009 would increase federal ferry funding nationwide from $67 million this year to $200 million in each of the next six years. Half of it would be distributed based on a formula that looks at a ferry system’s number of passengers, vehicles, and route miles. Systems would compete for the other $100 million.

Washington State Ferries ranks first in the nation in the number of passengers it carries (22.7 million in 2008) and vehicles (10 million), and second to Alaska in route miles (200 miles). Based on the formula, it would get 35 percent to 40 percent of the $100 million, Moseley said.

The United States spends only one-tenth of one percent of total surface transportation funds on ferries.

“The federal government has long understood the wisdom and value of investing in the nation’s infrastructure,” Moseley said. “Our ferries are a marine highway, a floating bridge between 18 communities in Washington state and the second-largest transit system in Washington state, all of those things the federal government has realized it needs to fund wrapped up into one.”

Murray said Wednesday at Colman Dock that the bill has no enemies in Congress, only people with other priorities who don’t realize ferries’ importance. She and Larsen have been educating them for a decade and got $323 million for ferries in 2005. They’re trying to add support by marketing ferries as job creators to boat-building states’ reps.

Rep. Judy Clibborn, chairwoman of the House Transportation Committee, said the state would be in good shape to compete for the non-formula money, because after two years of state-mandated studies, there is now a blueprint for the ferry system’s future.

“It’s welcome news that we have a partner and it doesn’t fall on just our taxpayers,” said Clibborn, D-Mercer Island.

Washington State Ferries has had money problems since losing license tab revenues a decade ago. The Legislature has been keeping the system afloat, but it hasn’t found a dedicated long-term funding source that WSF can rely on. This would help, but it alone couldn’t build the 10 new ferries the system’s long-range plan calls for.

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