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Councilmember O’Brien visits West Seattle for ‘kayaktivist’ training

May 3, 2015 11:02 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Port of Seattle | West Seattle news

ORIGINAL REPORT, 11:02 PM SUNDAY: Most of the time when we mention a city councilmember’s visit to West Seattle, it’s in connection with a meeting or a walking tour, staples of an elected official’s life. But Councilmember Mike O’Brien came here this morning for something entirely different:

He was among those who participated this morning in the latest round of “kayaktivist” training in advance of the on-water demonstrations planned when Shell‘s Arctic-offshore-drilling rigs get to Terminal 5. The activist coalition that’s organizing them has been leading kayak training with Alki Kayak Tours at Seacrest, roughly twice a week for the past few weeks. Our partners at The Seattle Times covered this morning’s session too, and photographer Ken Lambert went out on the water for this photo he tweeted:

The Times’ story with Ken’s photos is here. O’Brien chairs the council’s Planning, Land Use, and Sustainability Committee, which on Tuesday will consider a resolution that voices opposition to Arctic offshore drilling and urges the Port of Seattle to reconsider the lease with Foss that is bringing the Shell rigs here. The first to arrive in Washington waters, the drilling platform Polar Pioneer, is still in Port Angeles; a Chamber of Commerce webcam there still has it in sight; live image here, and here’s a screengrab from earlier today (used with the PA C of C’s permission):

No date set for its expected tow to Terminal 5; the other drill rig Shell has said it hopes to use in the Arctic Ocean this summer, the drillship Noble Discoverer, left its latest stop, off Honolulu, more than a week ago and is not back in MarineTraffic.com range yet. The only Shell ship to visit Terminal 5 so far, the icecutter Aiviq, is back there now after some time in Port Angeles. As announced in mid-April, the anti-drilling coalition has set May 16-18 for a “festival of resistance” starting with a kayak flotilla.

ADDED 8:42 AM MONDAY: Regional news orgs are reporting that Mayor Murray announced at a breakfast event today that the city has determined new/renewed permit(s) will be needed before Shell’s rigs can come here. We’re working to find out more and will have a separate story soon.

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13 Replies to "Councilmember O'Brien visits West Seattle for 'kayaktivist' training"

  • Mark May 4, 2015 (6:14 am)

    The City is the #1 buyer of oil in our town. The City buys about 2.2 million gallons of oil for their fleet of 3,400 vehicles. Despite great fan fare and trumpets a couple years ago, the City has only moved 47 vehicles to alternative non oil based fuel (electric or natural gas). That represents 1.1%.

    Why doesn’t our City leadership actually do something they can control? The grandstanding and political posturing and claiming to be environmentalists is pathetic.

  • me May 4, 2015 (7:36 am)

    Good point! Also, I support shell NO.

  • Enviromaven May 4, 2015 (9:24 am)

    Thank you, Councilmember O’Brien.

  • Jeff May 4, 2015 (9:58 am)

    That really says it all, doesn’t it Mark?

  • JVP May 4, 2015 (10:36 am)

    Mark, I agree! Stop the grandstanding and start working WITH your political opponents to come up with REAL solutions. Light rail, EVs, a bus system that doesn’t get stuck in traffic (ahem, C-Line). So much that can be done.

  • CeeBee May 4, 2015 (11:24 am)

    Check out what just got announced – Mayor takes action to review permit http://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-profiles/publicola/articles/thankyoumonster-may-2015

    • WSB May 4, 2015 (12:14 pm)

      CB, we already added that to the story, but thanks. While the mayor announced it to a breakfast event this morning, it took three hours before an actual written statement was issued by anyone in the city, though we sent a request immediately after people at the breakfast event (not in WS) started tweeting about it. Just as we were about to give up and publish something quoting secondhand sources, the DPD interpretation and a mayoral statement FINALLY arrived. We have all that information now, in a separate story: https://westseattleblog.com/?p=309167

  • Kcassidy May 4, 2015 (3:06 pm)

    What are those kayaks made out of? I thought it was petrochemicals. Kind of ironic to protest oil drilling by paddling out on your kayak made possible by drilling oil.

  • Political Paddle May 4, 2015 (7:19 pm)

    Dukakis riding a tank wearing an army helmut.
    Bush on an aircraft carrier in pilot flight suit.
    And O’Brien in a sea kayaking costume.
    Love-em-all!
    Paddle on Politician, paddle on.

  • wb May 4, 2015 (8:13 pm)

    What a cool guy. thank you Mr. O’Brien.

  • DRW May 4, 2015 (11:24 pm)

    Real Kayaktivists use wood kayaks.

  • Mf May 5, 2015 (12:54 am)

    I admire the guy for no other reason than he was the only council member to ask the same questions about the tunnel back then that everyone else is asking now. But, oh my, does he need a wardrobe consultant. John Belushi could pull off the yellow and black bumblebee look, but this is a Gortex Buzz Lightyear kind of outfit and pose, only with something weird hanging down. I love the super low, heroic, camera angle looking up at him (he looks 30 feet tall), like the first time we see Buzz in the movie, or like in a Mr. Clean commercial. But what Buzz comes to realize, sadly, is that he’s not a super hero, but just a decent guy who was elected to solve the real problems, not save the universe, and let’s hope this movie ends up the same way.

  • Ty Welch May 13, 2015 (9:19 am)

    So the Seattle Kayaktivists know that the kayaks they are using are made from oil products right? Polyethylene comes from oil. Modern Kayaks are made from oil.
    I will start listening to anti-oil activists when they stop using all products, services, and transportation made possible by oil.

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