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House Bill Supports New Passenger Ferries, Sets One Aside for Northwest Washington

(Feb. 6, 2009--Bellingham, Wash.) A new bill in Olympia would direct the state Department of Transportation to buy five passenger-only ferries, and it would set aside one of them for service in Northwest Washington. The bill, proposed by Rep. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, would set up the framework for spending $25 million in federal stimulus money for transit to buy high-speed passenger boats. Advocates say that brings their effort to establish a route between Friday Harbor and Bellingham closer to reality. "If the feds come in with the boat, then all of a sudden the economics of the thing start looking pretty positive," said Bruce Agnew, program director at the Seattle-based Cascadia Center, which has studied passenger ferry routes here. He's also a member of the Farmhouse Gang, an informal group of leaders that helped kick-start the bus route between Bellingham and Mount Vernon and now wants the ferry service. More here. Read More ›

Rep. Ericksen’s Bill Would Allow Spending $25 Million For Passenger Ferries

This article, published by The Bellingham Herald, mentions the Cascadia Center of Discovery Institute: On Monday, Tom Jones of the Seattle-based Cascadia Center for Regional Development, which has worked with the Farmhouse Gang and has reprentation on the group, told state representatives there’s wide interest in a Bellingham to Friday Harbor service. The rest of the article can be found Read More ›

More Details On How The Bellingham To Friday Harbor Ferry Service Could Work

This article, published by The Bellingham Herald, quotes Discovery Institute Fellow Bruce Agnew: Of all of the efforts to establish new passenger ferry service in Puget Sound, the effort to get a boat between Friday Harbor and Bellingham is the ripest, said Bruce Agnew, program director at the Seattle-based Cascadia Center. The rest of the article can be found here.