Request for Reconsideration Regarding Terminal 5 Interim Lease

The document argues that the Port of Seattle improperly used a SEPA categorical exemption to avoid environmental review for an interim lease of Terminal 5 to Foss Maritime. The authors contend that using the terminal as a home port for Shell's Arctic drilling fleet—including vessels like the Noble Discoverer—would change the site's use from a container terminal to a shipyard, risking toxic runoff and water pollution that could harm threatened Puget Sound Chinook salmon. The letter further highlights Shell's poor safety record in the Arctic and the broader climate implications of Arctic oil exploration.

• The Port of Seattle invoked a SEPA categorical exemption for leasing real property, which the authors argue is inapplicable because the proposed use of Terminal 5 as a home port for offshore drilling vessels is not "essentially the same" as its previous use as a container terminal.
• The proposed lease would allow approximately 50 acres of Terminal 5 to serve as a home port for Royal Dutch Shell's Arctic exploration drilling and support vessels, which would be moored there from October through May before traveling to the Arctic in June.
• The authors express concern that vessel repairs and maintenance conducted at Terminal 5 would produce toxic runoff and water pollution, potentially harming Puget Sound Chinook salmon, which are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.
• The document cites a poor safety and compliance record for Shell's Arctic fleet, noting a Department of Interior review that found Shell's management systems were "insufficiently robust" to manage operational risks and contractor oversight.
• The Noble Discoverer, a vessel intended to be stationed at Terminal 5, was previously indicted for environmental and maritime crimes, including discharging oil-contaminated water and falsifying records, leading to $12.2 million in fines and community service payments.
• The authors argue that Arctic oil and gas exploration exacerbates climate change and threatens fragile Arctic ecosystems already stressed by warming occurring at twice the global rate, potentially disturbing bowhead whale migration and walrus habitats.

APA

Earthjustice (2015). Request for Reconsideration Regarding Terminal 5 Interim Lease. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/lettertoportofseattlecommissioners.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. Request for Reconsideration Regarding Terminal 5 Interim Lease. 2015. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/lettertoportofseattlecommissioners.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Earthjustice |title=Request for Reconsideration Regarding Terminal 5 Interim Lease |date=28 January 2015 |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/lettertoportofseattlecommissioners.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{earthjustice2015request, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Request for Reconsideration Regarding Terminal 5 Interim Lease}}, publisher = {Earthjustice}, year = {2015}, month = jan, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/lettertoportofseattlecommissioners.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }