Lincoln County Commissioners voted unanimously Friday morning to join a lawsuit by the nonprofit Newport Fishermen’s Wives that seeks to undo the relocation of a Coast Guard helicopter that was based in Newport.
Separately, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said Friday that the state of Oregon will file a separate lawsuit with the same goal.
“This helicopter isn’t a luxury—it’s a critical part of how we keep people alive on the Oregon Coast,” Rayfield said in a press release announcing the lawsuit. “The federal government didn’t just move a piece of machinery. They pulled away a safety net that this community depends on, and they did it in the dark of night with no transparency and no legal process. We’re taking action because every minute matters in a coastal emergency.”
At the Lincoln County meeting, Commissioners made comparisons to a situation that occurred in 2014 when federal officials attempted to relocate the helicopter.
“We did it before. And if we have to do it again, which we do, I’m glad we’re moving forward once again with a united front," said Commissioner Claire Hall.
Commissioners also voted unanimously to call on the Coast Guard to return the helicopter and ask for help from government officials at all levels.
The Coast Guard hasn’t publicly given a reason for the relocation of the helicopter to North Bend, but opponents of the move say it will increase response times for the central Oregon coast, potentially putting lives in danger.
It comes as the Newport community has rallied against a potential detention facility for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, which would possibly be located at the Newport Municipal Airport, where the Coast Guard helicopter was based. Newport officials have repeatedly stated their opposition to the ICE facility.
Lincoln County was a co-plaintiff on the 2014 lawsuit, along with Fishermen’s Wives, the City of Newport and other groups.
Members of that same group appear to be coalescing around the issue again. During a special session of the board, Lincoln County Legal Counsel Kristin Yuille said that Fishermen’s Wives has procured an attorney whose firm was connected to the 2014 suit.
“We truly believe that the people sitting at a desk making these decisions do not understand our county, our conditions and our cold water temperatures,” said Cari Brandberg, who serves on the board of directors of the Newport Fishermen’s Wives.
Another local official also showed an early indication that his municipality will also be on board.
“The City of Newport is in full support of Fishermen’s Wives and the need to get that helicopter back. And we’ll do everything in our power to do that,” said Newport Mayor Jan Kaplan.
The 2014 lawsuit stemmed from a federal attempt to shutter the Newport Air Rescue Facility.
The lawsuit was dismissed in 2015 after legislation was passed that kept the base open into 2016.
A 2018 federal law that was signed by President Donald Trump imposed a regulatory process when making changes to Coast Guard air facilities. It required public meetings prior to closing a facility, that a plan be submitted to Congress regarding the “closure, cessation, or reduction in operations” of a Coast Guard air facility and requires that notice be given 18 months prior to the action.
