How state, federal funds will aid ferry replacement, cut Whatcom’s carbon footprint
Whatcom County’s two House members have secured a large part of funding to replace the Lummi Island ferry with an electric vessel, according to a joint statement from their offices.
U.S. Reps. Suzan DelBene, D-Kirland, and Rick Larsen, D-Everett, said that a $25 million grant for the ferry was awarded through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program.
That, coupled with a $10 million state grant announced last week, means that about half of the likely replacement cost for the 60-year-old Whatcom Chief and related shoreline infrastructure will be funded with state and federal money.
“It’s two pieces of good news. It’s a huge relief,” Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu told The Bellingham Herald in an interview.
“This investment of federal funds, together with state and local dollars, ensures that the residents and visitors of Lummi Island will have safe and reliable transportation for many years to come,” Sidhu said in a statement.
He said the ferry grant could not have been obtained without the help of DelBene, Larsen and the state’s two Democratic senators, Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell.
Built in 1962 in Bellingham, the M/V Whatcom Chief is a 94-foot ferry that can carry 100 passengers and 20 cars on the eight-minute ride across Hale Passage to Lummi Island from Gooseberry Point on the Lummi Peninsula.
It’s the only access to the mainland for most island residents, tourists, Whatcom Medic One ambulances and other service providers.
Cost to replace the ferry with a new vessel is currently about $35 million, with another $30 million to remodel the ferry docks, Sidhu said.
Whatcom County has already invested about $12 million toward engineering and design, he said.
“We’ve done a lot of work on it and may still fall short,” Sidhu said.
If that happens, the final piece of funding would come from general fund bonds that won’t require a vote.
Sidhu said the new ferry will be a diesel-electric hybrid vessel that will be retrofitted early in its service life with batteries to make it carbon-neutral.
Currently, the Whatcom Chief is the county’s single largest contributor to its carbon footprint, Sidhu said.
This story was originally published August 10, 2022 at 9:46 AM.
