Groups sue to keep Newport Coast Guard base

NEWPORT, Ore. (KOIN 6) — The Newport Fisherman’s Wives Group is among those filing a lawsuit to stop the planned closing of the Newport Coast Guard air base. Wyden, Merkley and Schrader promised to do everything possible to keep the Coast Guard helicopter in Newport.

The suit claims the Coast Guard move would be “a death sentence to commercial fishermen” and it says Coast Guard helicopters that would now have to come from Astoria or North Bend “cannot reach central Oregon coast victims in the 30 to 45 minutes that is recognized as the normal survival window in these cold ocean waters.”

The wives, the City of Newport, Lincoln County and the Port of Newport addressed the media Tuesday afternoon.

“I understand budgets and funding and while that is compelling, you can’t tell a family that this was the excuse given,” said Jennifer Stevenson of the Newport Fishermen’s Wives. “This is a huge importance to us.”

The Coast Guard officials said they’ve made big investments in technology and communication to locate people in trouble while on the open sea. They also say having rescue helicopters at Astoria and North Bend mean they still comply with federal search and rescue response standards.

But that is cold comfort for people like Lincoln County commissioner Terry Thompson, who had a fire aboard one of his own fishing boats. He said it was “a long wait” until that Coast Guard helicopter arrived.

“You can’t believe how happy I was to see that come over the horizon,” Thompson said.

The suit seeks immediate action from a federal judge in Eugene to keep the Coast Guard helicopter in Newport. The air facility was initially set to close November 30, but that date has been moved to December 15.

In late October, following a plea from Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley, Congressman Kurt Schrader, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, members of the Newport Fisherman’s Wives Group, along with commercial fishermen and coastal first responders, the U.S. Coast Guard delayed the closure of the Newport helicopter facility.

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