Within months, the fast ferries Chinook and Snohomish could be running at full speed again between Seattle and Bremerton. Or, they might not even be part of the fleet. At this point, there's no telling the passenger ferries' fate. So an environmental review plugs along. King County Superior Court Judge Glenna Hall granted a preliminary injunction in August slowing the Chinook from 34 knots to 12 knots in Rich Passage.
Property owners allege that the boat's wake damages their beaches.
At the same time, Hall ordered the state to review the Chinook's deployment and operation in accordance with the State Environmental Policy Act. That flies in the face of the ferry system's plans to mothball the boats this summer unless the Legislature digs up more money to operate them. That's enough of a point for us. Once the Legislature has concluded its work and once we're heard from the state Supreme Court, we might have to sit back and consider how we want to move forward. There are many more questions right now than there are answers.