Washington AG threatens suit over offshore drilling plans

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson says that he is prepared to sue if Washington is not removed from plans for oil drilling offshore of Washington state.

Ferguson sent a letter to U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Monday, the same day the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management initially intended to hold, but ultimately postponed, a public meeting in Tacoma about the offshore drilling proposal.

Inslee has already asked Zinke to remove Washington, along with the entire Pacific coastline, from a list of proposed sites for potential offshore oil and gas drilling.

Zinke announced plans last month to greatly expand offshore oil drilling from the Atlantic to the Arctic and Pacific oceans, including multiple areas where drilling is now blocked. The plan was immediately met with bipartisan opposition on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.