ATTACHMENT D IN THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF LANE COUNTY, OREGON
RESOLUTION NO. IN THE MATTER OF RECOGNIZING THE PORT OF COOS BAY AS IT SEEKS TO
DEVELOP A NEW BULK COMMODITY FACILITY
WHEREAS, The Port of Coos Bay is the largest deep draft coastal harbor between San Francisco Bay and Puget Sound, and;
WHEREAS, Lane County is linked to the Port of Coos Bay via the Coos Bay Rail Link, a short line railroad that is 64% located in Lane County, and;
WHEREAS, the Lane County Board of County Commissioners supported the transfer of ownership of the short line to the Port of Coos Bay through advocacy to the United States Surface Transportation Board, and;
WHEREAS, the Port of Coos Bay has been working to develop a bulk commodity handling terminal designed to transfer rail deliveries to a storage facility and then to vessel loading, and;
WHEREAS, the development of the proposed facility will be 100 percent privately funded, and; WHEREAS, the group of investors on the project is seeking to export 10 million tons per year of coal and/or wood pellets as the primary commodity which would pass through the facility, and;
WHEREAS, the Port has clearly stipulated delivery standards that will minimize or eliminate fugitive dust emissions escape from rail cars, and;
WHEREAS, the Port of Coos Bay has planned for utilizing Port revenues to further upgrade the Coos Bay Rail Link, and;
WHEREAS, the Port of Coos Bay has planned to offer grants to communities along the Coos Bay Rail link designed to minimize the generation of greenhouse gases and to mitigate the impacts of climate change, and;
WHEREAS, improving and increasing rail traffic to the Port of Coos Bay increases property tax revenue to both Coos and Lane County, and;
WHEREAS, state and local governments have called for further analysis of the impacts of transporting coal through Oregon on barges, trucks, and rail, and;
WHEREAS, federal law prohibits local governments from regulating the movement of freight by rail or the export of commodities.
NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that the Lane County Board recognizes the responsible development activities of the Port of Coos Bay related to increasing its ability to deliver, store, and transfer bulk commodities to the global marketplace.
ADOPTED this ______ day of October, 2012
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Sid Leiken, Chair Lane County Board of Commissioners