‘Green Fleet’ in Everett’s future?
Published 10:26 pm Sunday, May 16, 2010
EVERETT — Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus wants what he calls a “Great Green Fleet” — a carrier strike group that uses no petroleum fuel.
And he wants it done by 2016.
That has local leaders petitioning hard to get the aircraft carrier of that strike group based here at Naval Station Everett.
“I’d say we have a 1 in 7 or 8 chance,” said Capt. Thomas Mascolo, commander of Naval Station Everett. “We are definitely volunteering.”
The Navy’s green push is the right thing to do, and it’s also critically important for national security, Mascolo said. If the United States continues to rely on imported oil “we are dependent on somebody else for our national defense.”
In at least one way Naval Station Everett has a leg up on other bases. It opened in 1994 and as a modern base, it’s already built with more energy-efficient buildings and technology.
The base spent tens of thousands of dollars investing in energy- and water-saving measures. Workers also built a 5,000-gallon storage tank to store bio-fuel to run vehicles on base.
Naval Station Everett has gone after the low-hanging fruit. Winning the green fleet could bring money to go after bigger projects on base, Mascolo said.
The campaign to bring a “Great Green Fleet” to Everett is also about jobs and the long-term health of the local economy.
The crown jewel of Everett’s base, the USS Abraham Lincoln, is scheduled to leave in 2013 to refuel its nuclear reactors. It may not come back. That might leave Naval Station Everett — the second largest employer in the area — without an aircraft carrier.
That’s part of the reason Mayor Ray Stephanson is pushing the idea. He visited Washington D.C. in April to talk with Navy officials, including the chief of Naval Operations.
It’s unusual for the mayor of a city to make such an appeal to national leaders. Stephanson said he’s concerned about the economic hole the Lincoln’s departure might leave in the community.
“I’m really excited about this possibility for us,” Stephanson said. “Anything we can do to ensure the long-term success of the base I want to do.”
The Secretary of the Navy said he wants to see the Navy demonstrate it can sail the “Great Green Fleet” by 2012 and deploy it by 2016.
Lt. Paul Macapagal, a Navy spokesman based in Washington D.C., said the ships for the strike group, much less home ports, haven’t been selected. The Navy is still busy testing different kinds of biofuels.
Debra Smith: 425-339-3197, dsmith@heraldnet.com.
