Helicopter Required To Come Back To Newport

Just in time for crab season, after a lawsuit was filed in Federal Court asking that the US Coast Guard helicopter be returned to Newport a Federal Judge has agreed. This case was before the Court on a Motion for Temporary Restraining Order, filed by the Plaintiffs, The Newport Fishermen’s Wives, Inc. and Lincoln County. In the lawsuit the plaintiffs allege that Defendants United States Coast Guard and Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem unlawfully closed the Coast Guard’s Newport Air Facility. They sought an injunction that required the U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security acting through Secretary Kristi Noem to immediately restore and maintain the status quo that has prevailed since 1987 by returning the rescue helicopter to the Coast Guard’s Newport Air Facility, together with full operational capabilities, infrastructure and personnel support.

This is a big win, and swift action as crabbing season is set to start on December 16th. Many fishermen, families and community members have been worried about the safety of fishermen during this time of year when the waters are cold and the weather is unpredictable. Newport Fishermen's Wives mission is “for the purpose of voluntarily aiding and assisting families, relatives, or dependents of commercial fishermen or deceased commercial fishermen.” Cari Brandburg, with Newport Fishermen's Wives spoke at Senator Ron Wyden's Town Hall Sunday reminding of what they do. "We are the ones that go to their houses and hold their hands, we are there to check on them after they have been plucked from the cold water by the helicopter." She also expressed concern over the size of the Coast Guard vessels being small while the fishing and science fleet ships are bigger.

The U.S. Coast Guard opened the Newport Air Facility in 1987 following the loss of the crew of the fishing vessel Lasseigne, which capsized in 1985. Following the loss of Lasseigne and her crew, the NFW led the fight on behalf of the larger Newport community to secure a rapid response Coast Guard rescue helicopter for Oregon’s central coast. They were successful and, on July 3, 1986, federal legislation was signed appropriating funds for the construction of the Newport Air Facility. A temporary facility was opened by the Coast Guard in 1987 and, in 1992, Congress approved funding for a permanent facility, which was formally dedicated in January 1994.

The community learned that at the end of October the Coast Guard had either entirely ceased or, at a minimum, dramatically reduced operations at Newport Air Facility and was in the process of permanently closing the facility and removing associated infrastructure. The rescue helicopter normally stationed at the Newport Air Facility was moved 70 miles south to North Bend, while infrastructure necessary to Coast Guard operations and rescue flight capabilities at the Newport Air Facility either have been or are being removed. Oregon coastal waters are cold year-round creating life-threatening conditions requiring immediate rescue response. Oregon’s coastal waters, which average 50-54°F year-round, present the same survival challenges as the waters in Alaska.

It was also pointed out that the loss of Newport Air Base will place additional strain on the County’s first responders, and the resulting decreased safety along the coast will also impact commercial fishing, recreation, and tourism revenue that are vital to Lincoln County’s economy. It was pointed out that there was no public meetings or discussions by Homeland Security prior to the closing of the Newport Coast Guard Air Facility, nor was any notice provided to Congress. Inquiries about the situation to the Coast Guard and Homeland Security were met with no adiquite answers.

In 2014 an attempt to close the Newport Air Facility was forestalled by an Act of Congress which ensured that the Newport Air Facility would remain open through 2016. Congress subsequently enacted an order which provides that the Secretary of Homeland Security may not close a Coast Guard air facility unless it has been determined that remaining search and rescue capabilities maintain the safety of the maritime public in the area of the air facility, and regional or local prevailing weather and marine conditions, including water temperatures or unusual tide and current conditions, do not require continued operation of the air facility; and Coast Guard search and rescue standards related to search and response times are met. In addition to making the necessary determinations, the Secretary must provide opportunities for public comment, including the convening of public meetings in communities in the area of responsibility of the air facility with regard to the proposed closure or cessation of operations of the air facility.

As a result of evidence provided by the plaintiffs "the court has determined that those procedures were not followed and the Court can discern no hardship to Defendants in an injunction requiring them to continue operating the Newport Air Facility as they have for the better part of four decades. The Court concludes that the balance of the equities and the public interest weigh sharply in favor of the requested injunction."