West Hayden Island – What Now?

Posted August 2nd, 2010 in Milagros News | Tags: west hayden island | 2 Comments

If you have been following the discussion on West Hayden Island, you know that the City Council decided on Thursday to “inch closer” to allowing the Port of Portland to develop marine terminal facilities on West Hayden Island.

What do we think?

This issue has been framed as “jobs vs. environment” but like most sound-bites that does not capture our concerns on this issue.

Are we are concerned about the potential loss of wildlife habitat on West Hayden Island? Absolutely. However, we are equally concerned about the significant public funding for infrastructure required of a West Hayden development and the likely outcome that this costly development (in public funds and environmental degradation) will result in little or no economic benefit for the region:

• Shipping via the Port of Portland has unique challenges and costs because ships must navigate the Columbia for 100 miles.  Unlike other West Coast ports, two different pilots are required to operate boat traffic serving the Port (Source: Portland Business Journal - http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/12/14/story7.html) This will not change with a Hayden Island terminal.
• The Port of Portland has the highest tariffs on the West Coast. Although its shipping is down some 30 percent, the Port has recently increased it shipping tariffs (Source: Port of Portland Terminal Tariff Schedule). This will not change with a Hayden Island terminal.
• If we build a “deep water port” at Hayden Island, a large portion of boat traffic still will not be able use it because the Columbia simply isn’t deep enough.  Much of the container ship market is out of Portland’s reach for this reason. (Source: Columbia River Channel Coalition). This will not change with a Hayden Island terminal.
• Industrial development on West Hayden Island will have a significant taxpayer cost. There is no infrastructure in the area. Taking the Port’s job estimate of 1,200 new jobs at face value and considering the cost estimate of development for the proposed access bridge, the public expense per job created will be nearly $100 thousand. This is a low cost estimate, we believe the actual cost per job will be much higher than this.
• Existing Port of Portland terminals, with planned improvements in place, can handle more than double today’s cargo volume and still not be at capacity (Source: Port of Portland 2020 Marine Terminal Master Plan). Shipping demand for the Port of Portland is not constrained by lack of capacity. A new terminal at Hayden Island will likely be idle or underutilized for many years.

The Bottom-line:

The Port’s inability to compete with other ports has nothing to do with capacity constraints. The challenges facing the Port’s competitiveness (costs, distance from the ocean, limited depth of the Columbia) will not be remedied by a new terminal on Hayden Island.

In our view, a port facility on West Hayden Island isn’t just a poor environmental choice, it is a poor economic choice.

What can you do now?

Another study and review process has been authorized, so keep paying attention. Feel free to reach out to Council and let them know your thoughts on this issue:

amanda@ci.portland.or.us
dan@ci.portland.or.us
samadams@ci.portland.or.us
nick@portlandoregon.gov
rleonard@ci.portland.or.us

Peace.

Help Save West Hayden Island!

Posted July 20th, 2010 in Milagros News, public policy | Tags: port of portland, west hayden island | 2 Comments

We aren’t shy about our policy positions and political leanings, maybe not the best way to run a business but we are who we are…

One local issue that we are engaged in right now is asking the Portland City Council to deny the Port of Portland’s request to annex and rezone the West Hayden Island natural area. We don’t believe that allowing development in this wildlife area is in the best interest of Portland either environmentally or economically:

• This 826-acre natural area provides critical wildlife habitat for more than 100 species of fish and wildlife including federally listed endangered species. The island’s wetlands, grasslands and riparian habitat make it an irreplaceable resource and natural asset.
• The area is a critical flood plain that is ill suited for industrial development. During the flood of 1996, this area  was completely underwater.
• The public cost of development of the area will be exceedingly high. It would require significant tax-payer funded infrastructure including a new bridge to serve the area (above and beyond Columbia River Crossing redevelopment plans).
• The Port of Portland cannot say what it intends to build or when it will be built. It is relevant to note the Port of Portland already controls hundreds of acres of vacant industrial land. How will adding this precious natural area to the Port’s vast surplus of idle property help our economy?
• With regard to public investment for job creation and freight transit needs in the region, a collaboration with the Port of Vancouver remains dollar for dollar a better investment – even before the cost of environmental impact is calculated.

These are the key reasons we oppose the proposed annexation and rezoning. However, we encourage you to find out more for yourself. Check out the Audubon Society’s website as well as the City of Portland’s official website on this issue.

If you feel like we do – or even if you don’t – please contact the city council and let them know where you stand:

amanda@ci.portland.or.us
dan@ci.portland.or.us
samadams@ci.portland.or.us
nick@portlandoregon.gov
rleonard@ci.portland.or.us

and/or attend the the West Hayden Island Hearing at City Hall on Thursday, July 29th at 6:00 pm

Thanks and peace.