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Container Shipments into the Port of Lewiston is Good News for the Economy by Suzette Reynoso KLEW TV, December 1, 2015

LEWISTON, ID -- After more than seven months of being shut-down, container shipments into the Port of Lewiston are back.

And that's good news for the local economy. Monday, KLEW News was there as crews worked the first load to come to the LC Valley. In April, port officials said container shipments coming to and from Lewiston came to a screeching halt, because of on-going labor issues at the Port of Portland.

Officials said the shut-down impacted local pea and lentil farmers the most, because they had to find different ways to transport their goods.

"There is 99 ports in the Pacific Northwest and right now there is only two ports, Seattle and Tacoma, that export containers overseas so this is the only option for our local exporters," said David Doeringsfeld, Port of Lewiston Manager.

Now, port leaders have a new route to get their shipments abroad. The cargo will travel from Lewiston to Boardman, Oregon. Then it goes by rail to the ports in Tacoma or Seattle. Officials say this new route is temporary but will be effective for one year.