The International Association Of Independent Tanker Owners (Intertanko) v. Gary Locke

148 F.3d 1053
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedAugust 31, 1998
Docket97-35010
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 148 F.3d 1053 (The International Association Of Independent Tanker Owners (Intertanko) v. Gary Locke) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
The International Association Of Independent Tanker Owners (Intertanko) v. Gary Locke, 148 F.3d 1053 (9th Cir. 1998).

Opinion

148 F.3d 1053

1998 A.M.C. 2113, 1998 A.M.C. 2762,
28 Envtl. L. Rep. 21,397,
98 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 4666,
98 Daily Journal D.A.R. 6633,
98 Daily Journal D.A.R. 9415

THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT TANKER OWNERS
(INTERTANKO), Plaintiff-Appellant,
and
United States of America, Intervenor-Appellant,
v.
Gary LOCKE, Governor of the State of Washington; Christine
O. Gregoire, Attorney General of the State of Washington;
Barbara J. Herman, Administrator of the State of Washington
Office of Marine Safety; David Maceachern, Prosecutor of
Whatcom County; K. Carl Long, Prosecutor of Skagit County;
James H. Krider, Prosecutor of Snohomish County; Norman
Maleng, Prosecutor of King County, Defendants-Appellees,
and
Natural Resources Defense Council; Washington Environmental
Council; Ocean Advocates, Intervenors-Appellees.

No. 97-35010.

United States Court of Appeals,
Ninth Circuit.

Argued and Submitted Feb. 4, 1998.
Decided June 18, 1998.
As Amended Aug. 31, 1998.

C. Jonathan Benner (argued), Sean T. Connaughton, Darin R. Bartram, Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, Washington, DC; Henry C. Jameson, Jameson, Babbitt, Stites & Lombard, Seattle, Washington, for plaintiff/appellant International Association of Independent Tanker Owners.

Douglas Letter (argued), United States Department of Justice; Frank H. Hunger, Assistant Attorney General; Katrina C. Pflaumer, United States Attorney, Washington DC, for intervenor/appellant United States.

William B. Collins (argued), Senior Assistant Attorney General; Jerri L. Thomas, Tanya Barnett, Assistant Attorneys General, Olympia, Washington, for defendants/appellees Gary Locke, Governor, Christine O. Gregoire, Attorney General, Barbara J. Herman, Administrator, David Maceachern, Prosecutor of Whatcom County, K. Carl Long, Prosecutor of Skagit County, Norman Maleng, Prosecutor of King County; Tim W. Dore, Snohomish County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Everett, Washington, for defendant/appellee James H. Krider, Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney.

Jeffrey L. Needle (argued), John Macdonald, J. Grahame Bell, Seattle, Washington, for intervenors/appellees Washington Environmental Council, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Ocean Advocates Inc.

John B. Arum, Ziontz, Chestnut, Varnell, Berley & Slonim, Seattle, Washington, for amicus curiae Makah Indian Tribe.

Randall K. Gaylord, Prosecuting Attorney, John Briscoe, Louis F. Claiborne, Christopher J. Carr, Washburn, Briscoe & McCarthy, San Francisco, California, for amicus curie San Juan County.

Charles L. Coleman, III, Matthew P. Vafidis, Dennis L. Bryant, Haight, Gardner, Poor & Havens, San Francisco, California, for amicus curie International Chamber of Shipping.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington; John C. Coughenour, District Judge, Presiding. D.C. No. CV-95-1096 JCC.

Before: BROWNING and O'SCANNLAIN, Circuit Judges, and MARQUEZ,* District Judge.

O'SCANNLAIN, Circuit Judge:

We must decide whether Washington's Best Achievable Protection Regulations, which impose requirements on oil tankers to prevent oil spills, are preempted by comparable federal legislation under the Supremacy Clause or otherwise violate the United States Constitution.

* In the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, the State of Washington enacted laws to protect its waters from pollution by oil tankers. See Wash. Rev.Code §§ 88.46.010, et seq.; Wash. Admin. Code §§ 317-21-010, et seq. These provisions require that, in order to transport oil in state waters, tanker operators must: (1) file oil-spill prevention plans with the state, and (2) comply with the state's Best Achievable Protection ("BAP") Regulations, which are promulgated by the Washington Office of Marine Safety. See Wash. Rev.Code § 88.46.040. The International Association of Independent Tanker Owners ("Intertanko") maintains that sixteen of these regulations are unconstitutional. The district court summarized the challenged regulations as follows:

1. Event Reporting--WAC 317-21-130. Requires operators to report all events such as collisions, allisions and near-miss incidents for the five years preceding filing of a prevention plan, and all events that occur thereafter for tankers that operate in Puget Sound.

2. Operating Procedures--Watch Practices--[WAC 317-21-200].1 Requires tankers to employ specific watch and lookout practices while navigating and when at anchor, and requires a bridge resource management system that is the "standard practice throughout the owner's or operator's fleet," and which organizes responsibilities and coordinates communication between members of the bridge.

3. Operating Procedures--Navigation--WAC 317-21-205. Requires tankers in navigation in state waters to record positions every fifteen minutes, to write a comprehensive voyage plan before entering state waters, and to make frequent compass checks while under way.

4. Operating Procedures--Engineering--WAC 317-21-210. Requires tankers in state waters to follow specified engineering and monitoring practices.

5. Operating Procedures--Prearrival Tests and Inspections--WAC 317-21-215. Requires tankers to undergo a number of tests and inspections of engineering, navigation and propulsion systems twelve hours or less before entering or getting underway in state waters.

6. Operating Procedures--Emergency Procedures--WAC 317-21-220. Requires tanker masters to post written crew assignments and procedures for a number of shipboard emergencies.

7. Operating Procedures--Events--WAC 317-21-225. Requires that when an event transpires in state waters, such as a collision, allision or near-miss incident, the operator is prohibited from erasing, discarding or altering the position plotting records and the comprehensive written voyage plan.

8. Personnel Policies--Training--WAC 317-21-230. Requires operators to provide a comprehensive training program for personnel that goes beyond that necessary to obtain a license or merchant marine document, and which includes instructions on a number of specific procedures.

9. Personnel Policies--Illicit Drugs and Alcohol Use--WAC 317-21-235. Requires drug and alcohol testing and reporting.10. Personnel Policies--Personnel Evaluation--WAC 317-21-240. Requires operators to monitor the fitness for duty of crew members, and requires operators to at least annually provide a job performance and safety evaluation for all crew members on vessels covered by a prevention plan who serve for more than six months in a year.

11. Personnel Policies--Work Hours--WAC 317-21-245. Sets limitations on the number of hours crew members may work.

12. Personnel Policies--Language--WAC 317-21-250. Requires all licensed deck officers and the vessel master to be proficient in English and to speak a language understood by subordinate officers and unlicensed crew. Also requires all written instruction to be printed in a language understood by the licensed officers and unlicensed crew.

13. Personnel Policies--Record Keeping--WAC 317-21-255.

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148 F.3d 1053, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/the-international-association-of-independent-tanker-owners-intertanko-v-ca9-1998.