Lawmakers in both chambers approved the allocation of $40 million towards supporting what鈥檚 called the Pacific Coast Intermodal Port (PCIP) Project. The money is to help fund the dredging and expansion of the existing waterway to accommodate large container ships, and transport goods via rail to other parts of the region, including Eugene.
U.S. House Representative Val Hoyle told KLCC that she鈥檚 pleased with the action, which drew bipartisan support. The plan is to deepen the navigation channel from 39 to 45 feet.
鈥淲e鈥檙e working with both business, and labor, environmentalists, and the community of the South Coast which really, really deserves to have a thriving economy again,鈥� said Hoyle.
鈥淲e think this is an important reminder for Oregonians 鈥� especially for folks living outside of Portland 鈥� we鈥檙e deadset on seeing investment go back into building rural communities and supporting those economies.鈥�
Proponents say once complete and running, the facility will also provide 8,000 jobs across Coos, Douglas, and Lane counties.
The $40 million allocation awaits Governor Kotek鈥檚 approval.
Hoyle added that this would improve the chances of the project getting a $500 million Mega-Grant from the federal Department of Transportation. She said they hope to hear about their application as early as next month. A previous Mega-Grant donation was denied.
The PCIP project has generated support from regional business interests, who say it鈥檒l benefit the immediate area economically and increase commerce.
But it鈥檚 also drawn scorn from some who worry about the facility鈥檚 effects on the environment.
Mike Graybill is a former manager for the South Slough Estuarine Research Reserve. He said the extent of excavation needed to deepen the navigation channel is troubling.
鈥淎nd if you could think of a river, that has a bed and a bank and a bottom, and you made a proposal to say, 鈥榃hat if I made it deeper and wider for eight miles by blasting bedrock,鈥� would that be okay with you?鈥� asked Graybill.
Another point of contention is House Bill 3382, which would declare an emergency land use exemption for the Port of Coos Bay. Graybill and others say it would bypass important environmental procedures, and have called for its defeat.
Meanwhile, Hoyle and others supporting the PCIP have their own environmental talking points. They say the use of container ships and using rail to transport goods will take more large trucks off of the roads, which means less greenhouse emissions.
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