96 Development on West Hayden Island, Jeff Smith, The Oregonian

Development on West Hayden Island
by Jeff Smith
The Oregonian, July 30, 2010

I agree that West Hayden Island is truly unique. It is the only piece of land within the urban growth boundary that provides access to two railroad mainlines, interstate highway trucking corridors and a deep-water port facility located on a newly deepened international shipping channel. The channel deepening was a 10-year, nearly $200 million federal, state and local investment in our maritime-trade future. To say we only want Washington ports to be able to take advantage of this investment is at best unwise and at worst is an embarrassing example of elitist NIMBY-ism (not in my backyard).

In a time when our president has called for a doubling of U.S. exports in the next five years and when our city and state are struggling with high unemployment and the prospect of a jobless recovery, we cannot afford to lose sight of the fact that this site is an important regional, if not national, asset. Portland needs to step up.

Related Pages:
It's About Time by Editorial Board, The Daily Astorian, 4/9/9
Enviros Question Dredge Spoil Dumping on West Hayden Island by Scott Learn, The Oregonian, 8/4/10
Toxic Contaminants and Their Effects on Salmonids by Morace, Johnson & Nilsen, Science Policy Exchange, 9/11/9

Jeff Smith, president of I.L.W.U. Local 8 in Portland.
Development on West Hayden Island
The Oregonian, July 30, 2010

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