Please join me on Wed, Oct 9th at the Clark County Fairgrounds in Vancouver WA to testify in favor of private investment in expanding export capacity in NW ports. Below are some very good reasons to join with us in person, or just send in your comments. Send me a message and we can discuss your involvement. Jeff Earlier this month, Washington State announced an unprecedented global review of the Gateway Terminal in Bellingham. This unachievable review proposal prompted the federal agencies co-leading the review, to leave the state’s process and develop their own report – putting our state to the left of the Obama administration on energy exports. The facts about what’s at stake in this debate: • The state’s decision on Gateway was detrimental to future trade growth, and sends a chilling message to those looking to invest and bring jobs here. • The two facilities potentially impacted by this decision are set to inject billions of dollars in private investment into Washington’s trade infrastructure. Those investments, paid for by coal exports, would also provide more capacity for ag products, timber, and alumina, benefitting Washington farmers, and major employers like Weyerhaeuser, Alcoa, and BNSF. • An unfocused, universal review of trade investment will have negative consequences – globally and domestically. o Undefined, global reviews, set the expectation that airplanes, ag products, timber, and any product with a potential impact of any kind should be evaluated globally. In a trade dependent state, that is nothing short of disastrous. o Independent research by the Washington Farm Bureau and the Washington Research Council determined the proposed export terminals would benefit Washington export industries across the board, by improving the competitiveness of our trade infrastructure. The state is jeopardizing that opportunity. o The energy needs of developing countries aren’t going away. Without these projects, those needs will be met by dirtier sources of energy from countries with weaker environmental policies and weaker worker’s rights. • The Millennium Terminal has been under review for 19 months already. To protect our economy, the state must commit to advancing trade investments and finalizing the review of these projects in a timely manner. Washington is putting its primary economic activity – trade – in jeopardy across multiple industries. But there is still time to protect our economy and minimize the potential damage to trade investment if the state changes course now. Next week, the state will hold public hearings on a major new investment in the port of Longview, WA. This hearing has the potential to impact all Washington businesses. - The Issue: the state is considering an unprecedented, new approach to reviewing an export facility in Longview. If adopted, this plan would massively expand the review process for all trade and transportation projects in Washington. Everything from airplanes, timber, to agriculture, could be subject to complicated new reviews. Under the burdensome new plan, the lifetime impact across the globe for products built or shipped through Washington, would have to be included in the state’s review of new factories, ports, or any other transportation investment that carries products to global markets. - The state is considering this disastrous new plan, under pressure from out-of state activists that are opposed to the shipment of coal through the Millennium terminal. The well-funded, ideologically driven opponents of the terminals have no concern for the impact’s this policy will have on Washington. From timber to dam removals, our state knows all to well the consequences of outside interests trumping sound policy. - We need your help to stop this unprecedented new regulatory hurdle that threatens to decimate Washington’s trade industry. Please say NO to new red-tape, and YES to new investment in Washington’s ports. To RSVP for the Vancouver hearing: info@washingtonscopinghearings Website page to comment: ecy.wa.gov/geographic/millennium/index.html
Posted on: Sat, 05 Oct 2013 16:57:34 +0000
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