By Charles Pope

WASHINGTON -- Concerned about the government's response to an expected wave of tsunami debris, Oregon Rep. Suzanne Bonamici asked the Coast Guard Friday to clarify its role in handling the waste and providing assistance to West Coast states.

Bonamici made the request in a letter that was signed by 27 other members of Congress, including Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, Greg Walden and Kurt Schrader.

The letter to the Coast Guard's Commandant, Admiral Robert J. Papp, notes seemingly inconsistent responses in handling an abandoned Japanese fishing boat, the Ryou-Un Mara, and a lumbering, 66-foot dock from Misawa Japan that washed ashore on Agate Beach near Newport.

The fishing boat was sunk while the dock "was not determined to pose a similar threat," the letter says.

"Given this inconsistency, please provide us with the criteria that the Coast Guard uses to determine when it will take decisive and effective action like that which was taken in the case of the Ryou-Un Mara," the letter says.

It also stresses the need for improved communication between the federal, state and local governments.
 
"We appreciate that the Coast Guard is asked to perform extraordinary work under difficult circumstances with limited resources, but we are concerned that local entities may not be notified before the arrival of potentially large pieces of debris," the letter says. "For this reason, we ask that you provide us with specific details about your procedure for reporting marine debris to local authorities and how you will ensure proper notification of potential threats caused by incoming hazards."

The letter stresses the need to coordinate responses among various federal, state and local agencies and ensure that information can be traded efficiently and easily.

Though the threat is impossible to quantify, the Japanese government estimates there is more than 1.5 million tons of debris afloat. Much of the waste is being pushed eastward by currents, which means the U.S. West Coast, and especially the Pacific Northwest are at risk.

The threat isn’t being taken lightly. Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber has set-up a hotline for people to use if they spot de-bris. The number is 211.

Kitzhaber has also created a Tsunami Debris Task Force led by Gen. Mike Caldwell, director of the state’s Office of Emergency Management.

Debris that has arrived on the shores of North America includes oyster farm buoys, soccer balls, boats and a shipping container holding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle with Japanese license plates.

In addition to the letter, Schrader and Sen. Ron Wyden will be in Newport on Saturday to talk about tsunami debris and how governments should respond. The Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as well as state officials will attend.

“A lot of attention has been rightfully focused on the debris that is washing ashore along our coast” Wyden said, “but it is important that we not overlook what is in the water and the dangers it poses to fishermen, tug boat operators and steamship operators."