“Thank you to Judge Murphy for upholding the right of the Department of Natural Resources to hold accountable a company that failed to operate safely and comply with the terms of its lease. My duty is to ensure that no company endangers the health of Washington’s waters, which support our culture, economy, and native salmon and orcas. It is a privilege, not a right, to do business on public waters, and I will always enforce the high-standards we have for lessees. I again call on Cooke Aquaculture to drop its baseless lawsuits.” - Statement by Commissioner of Public Lands, Hilary Franz.
Of course,,,,,Cooke's responded on March 3, 2020, by filing an appeal to this ruling.
Click here to link to the full release of the ruling, from Washington State Department of Natural Resources including background info on the case.
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