Federal lawmakers from Oregon are urging the U.S. Coast Guard to reestablish staffing in Gold Beach and Bandon, following a fatal boating accident last summer that highlighted gaps in emergency coverage along the southern Oregon coast.

According to reporting by Oregon Public Broadcasting, U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle and Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden have called for a formal Coast Guard assessment of the area’s search-and-rescue readiness. Their letter to Coast Guard leadership cites rising marine traffic and increasing reliance on private boat captains for emergency response — a role historically filled by the Coast Guard.

“We’ve had some very near misses,” Rep. Hoyle said, emphasizing that even a short delay in rescue operations can prove fatal in the cold waters of the Pacific. The Coast Guard pulled back seasonal staffing from Gold Beach and Bandon roughly six years ago, a move made without public notice or hearings, according to the lawmakers. Since then, about 23,000 boats are estimated to pass through the region annually.

Patrick Hollinger, a Curry County commissioner, has also pressed for reinstatement of Coast Guard crews. In a September letter to Rear Admiral Kevin Lunday, Hollinger argued that the absence of local personnel contributed to the August tragedy that claimed two lives. He called the region “exposed” without a stationed team at Gold Beach, asserting that a staffed facility might have changed the outcome.

Current Coast Guard responses to emergencies in the area come from North Bend and Brookings — far enough away that in some cases rescue times can exceed the survivability window for cold-water incidents. Hoyle noted that earlier staffing reductions were driven by recruitment challenges but said recent improvements in hiring could open the door to reinstating at least seasonal operations.

The Coast Guard commandant is expected to visit southern Oregon later this month to evaluate conditions firsthand. The agency has already reversed a prior staffing withdrawal elsewhere along the coast, returning a rescue helicopter to Newport following litigation brought by local advocates and officials late last year.

While Gold Beach and Bandon are distant from Cowlitz County, the issue has broad regional relevance. Columbia River emergency planning, including operations out of Astoria and Tongue Point, depends on consistent Coast Guard presence across the Oregon coast. Lawmakers’ calls for restored coverage underscore the ongoing conversation about federal resource allocation for coastal safety in the Pacific Northwest.

Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting