Port of Seattle Commissioners P.O. Box 1209 Seattle, WA 98111

Dear Commissioners Albro, Bowman, Bryant, Creighton and Gregoire,

As elected officials, business owners, community leaders, and Alaskan residents, the undersigned groups represent a wide swath of the state of Alaska. We understand firsthand that Alaskan energy, and oil and gas in particular, is critical to the well-being of every Alaskan resident and business. It contributes ~90% of state revenue, represents 1/3 of Alaskan jobs, and constitutes roughly half of the state’s economy. Simply put, the health of Alaska is intricately tied to development of the state’s energy resources.

It should therefore be no surprise that Alaskans overwhelmingly support energy development, including offshore in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, which is home to an estimated 23.6 billion barrels of oil, enough to provide every licensed driver in the West Coast states with nearly 14,000 gallons of gasoline.

Beyond Alaska and the West Coast region, in addition to fueling cars and trucks, this resource helps feed, clothe, and house hundreds of millions of Americans all across the nation. It is thus also not surprising that, as reflected in recent public polling, Americans in states as far away as New Hampshire, South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, and Iowa strongly support development of Alaskan energy resources.

Indeed, as a federal advisory committee comprised of industry, academic, NGO, and government representatives recently concluded in a report requested by U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, new development of Alaskan energy in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas must begin ramping up now to ensure the nation’s long-term energy security.

Importantly, Alaska is committed to working with the federal government, the energy industry, and others to ensure that innovation drives environmental improvement and energy development. However, those who present a false choice between energy development and a healthy environment and simply seek to prohibit the ability to access our resources present a position that is as ill-founded as it is unwise. If acted on, such a stance threatens to drive up energy prices for all Americans, negatively impacting jobs and slowing our economy.

An 11th-hour effort organized by those opposed to Alaskan offshore development is now underway to force the revocation of the terms of the Port of Seattle’s Terminal 5 lease with Foss Maritime. The signed lease provides a staging area for exploration equipment over the next two to four years. With the opportunity associated with the 2015 exploration season just around the corner, and with the country still dependent on foreign energy imports, Alaskans and citizens across the deserve far better than to be held hostage by extremists’ viewpoints in the state of Washington.

Significantly, the situation at hand is about far more than just energy, with the Port of Seattle having played a critical role in closely linking the economies of Alaska and Washington State. In that regard, many other economic powerhouse sectors in the Alaska region that depend on operational certainty and predictability in the Pacific Northwest, such as the tourism and seafood industries, are also closely monitoring the ongoing developments and wondering whether their activities at the port might be next on the target list if anti-development groups are successful in this instance.

We are thus at a critical juncture with regard to both U.S. Arctic exploration and the future state of economic ties between Alaska and the Seattle area. The response of elected and public officials at all levels, including state and local, will play a crucial role in determining whether Alaska, the Seattle region, and the nation at large are able to realize the benefits associated with our abundant energy resources and historically close ties between Alaska and the Puget Sound region. For the benefit of this and future generations, it is our sincere hope that officials in Washington State respond with leadership and reason. To that end, we thank you for your recent vote in support of Foss’ use of Terminal 5 and encourage your continued support in honoring the terms of the lease agreement. cc:

Governor

Washington State House Leadership Leadership Speaker Frank Chopp Lt. Governor , Senate President Speaker Pro Tempore Rep. Jim Moeller Senator , President Pro Tempore Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore Rep. Tina Orwall Sen. Sharon Brown, Vice President Pro Tempore Majority Leader Rep. Pat Sullivan Hunter G. Goodman, Secretary of the Senate Majority Caucus Chair Rep. Eric Pettigrew Pablo G. (Paul) Campos, Dep. Senate Secretary Majority Whip Rep. Majority Leader Deputy Majority Whip Rep. Marcus Riccelli Majority Caucus Chair Deputy Majority Whip Rep. Cindy Ryu Majority Floor Leader Majority Floor Leader Rep. Kristine Lytton Majority Whip Deputy Majority Leader Rep. Larry Springer Majority Caucus Deputy Leader John Braun Deputy Majority Floor Leader Rep. Steve Bergquist Majority Caucus Vice Chair Deputy Majority Floor Leader Rep. Gael Tarleton Majority Assistant Floor Leader Assistant Majority Whip Rep. Joan McBride Majority Assistant Whip Mark Miloscia Minority Leader Rep. Dan Kristiansen Democratic Leader Deputy Minority Leader Rep. Joel Kretz Democratic Caucus Chair Minority Caucus Chair Rep. Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Rosemary McAuliffe Minority Whip Rep. Paul Harris Democratic Deputy Leader Minority Floor Leader Rep. J. T. Wilcox Democratic Floor Leader Minority Caucus Vice Chair Rep. Joe Schmick Democratic Asst. Floor Leader Assistant Minority Floor Leader Rep. Matt Shea Democratic Whip Assistant Minority Floor Leader Rep. Matt Manweller Democratic Assistant Whip Assistant Minority Whip Rep. Dan Griffey Assistant Minority Whip Rep. Dave Hayes Assistant Minority Whip Rep.