Pushing for development of a container port in Coos Bay to create thousands of good-paying jobs, reduce shipping congestion, and give Oregon farmers and producers easy access to get their goods to market
Push for a container port in Coos Bay to create jobs and improve market access.
Occurrences
Insistir en la expansión y mejoramiento de un puerto de contenedores en Coos Bay para crear muchos empleos bien remunerados, reducir el congestionamiento del transporte marítimo y darle a los agricultores y productores de Oregon acceso fácil y directo para llevar sus productos al mercado.
Evidence
Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, and U.S. Representative Val Hoyle issued a joint statement after USDOT did not select the Port of Coos Bay’s request for a $1.25 billion Mega Grant that would have been used to create a major new West Coast container port in Coos Bay to address supply chain bottlenecks, boost the economy, and create thousands of good-paying union jobs.
Rep. Val Hoyle announced $25,018,750 in federal funding for the Pacific Coast Intermodal Port Terminal Planning Project, saying the project has the potential to bring over 8,000 jobs to Southwest Oregon and strengthen the nation’s supply chain. The release says the investment brings the project one step closer to fruition.
Hoyle and Oregon’s senators announced $29,751,615 for Coos Bay Rail Line upgrades planning. The release says upgrades and repairs will help move products across Oregon and the country faster and that a renovated Coos Bay Rail Line is a key part of setting the Port of Coos Bay up to be the first ship-to-rail port on the west coast.
The Port of Coos Bay states it has partnered with NorthPoint Development to construct a state-of-the-art container terminal on Port-owned property. The project is designed to move nearly 100% of containers by rail, provide additional capacity for imports, create a new gateway for U.S. exports, and generate a significant economic impact in rural Oregon.
The Port announced a definitive lease agreement with NorthPoint Development for the future development of a container facility on the North Spit of the Coos Bay harbor. The project was estimated to support roughly 3,000 short-term construction jobs and 5,000 long-term family wage jobs at construction completion.
Assessments
Hoyle promised to push for a container port in Coos Bay. The evidence shows substantial same-term advocacy and federal funding wins tied to the Port of Coos Bay intermodal/container-port effort, including roughly $25 million for planning and nearly $30 million for rail-line upgrade planning. These actions directly advance the promised jobs and market-access goals. However, the container port itself has not been completed or made operational, and the major $1.25 billion grant request was denied, so the promised outcome has not been fully delivered.