This is a printer friendly version of an article from the *The Olympian* To print this article open the file menu and choose Print. Back ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Nuclear sub won't visit soon BY KATHERINE TAM THE OLYMPIAN OLYMPIA -- The question of whether declaring the city a nuclear-free zone would clash with a possible visit from the nuclear-powered USS Olympia next July is moot, at least for next year. The submarine just returned from being deployed, and it will enter the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard on Oct. 1 for two years of maintenance and upgrades, said Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Davis, spokesman for the Navy. It won't be making visits during that time. "USS Olympia continues to enjoy excellent relations with the people of its namesake city," Davis said, adding, "We look forward to continuing this friendly interaction with the people of Olympia, and are hopeful that the ship's operational commitments will afford the opportunity for a visit sometime after its overhaul." The maintenance is typical during a sub's 30-year life span, he said. The USS Olympia is 21 years old. Organizers of Capital Lakefair invited the submarine for a visit next July, Mayor Mark Foutch said. Questions arose about how a nuclear-free zone ordinance would affect that. The ordinance would not apply to the sub if the Navy breaks from its policy of neither confirming nor denying the presence of nuclear weapons, and certifies that the USS Olympia isn't carrying such weapons. Under some council members' interpretation of the ordinance, the sub would be excluded from the new law if the Navy won't say for federal security reasons. The Navy does not discuss the presence or absence of nuclear weapons aboard specific ships, submarines or aircraft, Davis said. It's federal policy not to deploy nuclear weapons aboard attack submarines such as the USS Olympia as well as surface ships and naval aircraft, he added. A planned visit by the sub was at the center of controversy in May 2004. The City Council was inundated with hundreds of e-mails, some hostile and from as far away as the East Coast, after it decided to have a hearing on a proposed resolution opposing the visit. About 250 people crowded council chambers for the public hearing. Some speakers applauded officials and urged them to stand their ground. Others berated the council with the kind of raised voices and podium-pounding fury that some officials said they had not witnessed in that room before. The council took no action on the resolution. The nuclear-free zone ordinance got initial council approval this week on a 5-2 vote with Foutch and Doug Mah dissenting. It returns to the council for final action Tuesday. The proposal would ban nuclear weapons from town. The city would try not to do business with companies involved in making nuclear weapons or their components, unless there's no reasonable alternative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------