Port defends Bellingham's NOAA bid against attack by Oregon's Wyden

An Oregon Senator's accusations about environmental problems on the Bellingham waterfront are off the mark, Port of Bellingham Environmental Director Mike Stoner said Tuesday, March 9.

Stoner was responding to U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden's contention that environmental issues should disqualify Bellingham as a potential site for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Marine Operations Center. The Oregon Democrat made those contentions in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, whose department includes NOAA.