Bankrupt fishermen, vanished herring stocks and stubborn Exxon reps resurfaced in the news again recently thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court case, reminding us all of the devastation of the Valdez spill.

While the specter of enviro oil spill disaster looms, local lawmakers and U.S. senators are still struggling to get funding for a rescue tug that's stationed at Neah Bay on the northwest tip of the Olympic Peninsula.

Friday -- today -- is the last day the tug will be at the ready to prevent shipwrecks.

Getting the tug out there for next winter is completely uncertain as well.

Why does it matter? The tug has made 40 assists of ships in distress since it was put into service in 1999, and six of those were this winter. It was most recently sent out Feb. 27 to aid a 651-foot bulk cargo carrier that lost propulsion entering the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Mike Sato at People for Puget Sound says there's $3.65 million in the state Senate's budget for a year-round rescue tug, while the House offers $660,000 to cover about two months.

Says Fred Felleman, northwest director of Ocean Advocates:

"The state is once again bailing us out for another year. This really would be best fixed at the federal level."

Sen. Maria Cantwell is expected to reintroduce legislation to make tug funding a requirement for all vessels and facilities that file oil spill response plans with the Coast Guard.

Felleman, again:

"We'll just have this gap between now and July 1 when the budget kicks in before the tug comes back on station. Fortunately we've gotten through the worst of the winter."

Though, he notes, a spill can happen anytime.

UPDATE:
I was alerted to an interesting sounding event next week related to oil spills.

On Wednesday Mike Ziccardi, director of California's Oiled Wildlife Program, is presenting information on their program from 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. at Seattle's King Street Center, Room 604, 201 S. Jackson St.

It's part of ongoing discussions and presentations regarding oiled wildlife care so Washington can develop its own program. The event is sponsored by the Washington Oil Spill Advisory Council.