The Washington Department of Ecology has ordered the Shell Puget Sound Refinery near Anacortes to take immediate action to demonstrate the company is fully prepared to respond to an oil spill at its facility.

Ecology issued the administrative order Aug. 11 after a July 1 inspection found the March Point refinery was not following the equipment readiness program detailed in its oil spill preparedness plan required by state law, it lacked maintenance records for its response equipment and it was unable to verify the location and condition of some of the equipment listed in its plan.

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Way to go Washington State Dept.of Ecology. Given the possible ecological impacts a significant spill could have to Puget Sound esspecially for places like La Conner, Anacortes, and also the Swinomish and Samish Tribal Communities. I think it’s great that Shell with it’s historic profits is being made to follow the rules, and follow the laws that protect us, and the beauty of our region. It’s already enough the damage the refinery has caused to that area if land it sits on. But in light of this, and the other incidents out there, where people have actually been killed in a number of accidents these past few years, it all makes me wonder what else they may be cutting corners on out there.