Forum Lane

The Coos Bay Rail Link re-establishment is beginning to look like a reality.  As we look to add manufacturing and production in Lane County, the prospect of an available deep-water port in Coos Bay-North Bend is attractive.

A Coos Bay Rail link train approaches the crossing at Green Hill Road just west of Eugene

The following was reported by Elise Hamner of the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay on Friday April 27, 2013:

Port and railroad restore full freight service to shippers on entire Coos Bay rail line

A Coos Bay Rail Link-CBR freight train this afternoon is moving the first rail shipment of plywood out of the Roseburg Forest Products mill in Coquille since the rail line closed five and a half years ago. This accomplishment marks the full restoration of freight rail service on the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay’s 134-mile Coos Bay rail line.

“We, as a community, have done the impossible,” said Port CEO David Koch. “We’ve accomplished what so many naysayers said couldn’t be done.”

This month, North Bend-based Billeter Marine and Scott Partney Construction completed the final step of repairing two critical wooden trestles to open the remaining 20 miles of rail line to Coquille. Roseburg Forest Products’ Director of Transportation Jeff Brandt said the return of rail service is very exciting for the Coquille mill and its employees.

“Moving product by rail directly out of Coquille can eliminate up to 18 truckloads per day of material being shipped to another mill, where it then is loaded on a rail car,” Brandt said. “This will not only allow us to be more competitive by reducing our costs, but it will benefit the community and environment by reducing highway traffic and emissions.”

Roseburg also transports wood chips on the rail line to its export shipping terminal on the North Spit of Coos Bay. The company is one of 11 manufacturers and agricultural producers who have transported wood products, steel, chromite ore and organic cattle feed on the shortline since 2011.

“Shippers moved 2,480 rail cars of commodities across the Coos Bay rail line in 2012. We expect to double shipments on the rail line this year now that we have service to Coquille,” said Scott Parkinson, president of the Coos Bay Rail Link-CBR, which operates the railroad.

The Port of Coos Bay purchased the line in 2009-10 and is nearing completion of a $31 million rehabilitation project. Federal and state investments in the line have brought on-the-ground improvements to every single mile of tracks between Coquille and the rail line’s connection in Eugene to the North American rail system. Almost all of the supplies and work on the tracks and trestles have been provided by companies locally and in Oregon and Washington. Ethel, Wash.-based Balfour Beatty’s team completed the major track work, utilizing ties and ballast provided by Conrad Wood Preserving of North Bend, Knife River Inc. of Coos Bay and Babb Construction of Eugene. Other vital partners locally have included Kyle Electric; Reese Electric; Stebbins, Coffey & Collins and Stuntzner Engineering; along with LRL Construction of Tillamook, H&S Construction of Roseburg and several other companies.

The Coos Bay Rail Link began freight rail operations in October 2011 and now employs 12 people, with a total payroll exceeding $500,000.

There are three reasons it’s puzzling to me why South Eugene County Commissioner Pete Sorensen voted no on jobs again.

On March 20 Sorensen said, “No” to “Project Squeeze,” a plan to make Lane County competitive in its efforts to bring a company here which would provide as many as 230 jobs paying a minimum of $37,000 (plus benefits).  A job paying 37K annually equates to more than $17.00 per hour ($17.78 actually).
Why “No” Pete.?  I am legitimately puzzled.  Here’s why I am puzzled:

One, Commissioner Sorensen, during an Executive Session discussion on the 20^th, and during the subsequent open meeting, at no point indicated that he would be a “no” vote and offered absolutely no reasons why he might be such.

Two, following the meeting, in the presence of staff, media and the entire Board of Commissioners (Faye Stewart was present Tuesday via phone link) I asked Sorensen, “Why did you vote no?”

His response was, “It would not be appropriate to discuss that outside of a meeting.” Maybe that’s so, but probably not.  Nonetheless, commissioner, why did you not discuss it during the public meeting?

(I read in the Register-Guard this morning that he would rather 230 different small companies added one job each.  Well, who wouldn’t?  But bring ‘em on, Pete. Companies need reasons to grow, and the $8.5 million or more payroll represented by “Project Squeeze”–most of which would be spent locally by local families–represents a whole lot of reasons for local companies to grow).

Three: Sorensen recently voted, “No” on another project that would bring local jobs and affordable housing to downtown Eugene, citing that “The pendulum has swung too far” and the City of Eugene is placing too much emphasis on multi-family housing.

I hope and expect that Commissioner Sorensen will be more open in the future about his real reasons for being an outlier on votes involving the economic health of our community.  In fact on all of his dissenting votes.  Maybe he’ll give me reasons to agree with him.

After spending ten years serving as a Eugene City Councilor I had my final regular meeting last Wednesday December 12, 2012.  My time on the Council stretched over a period of 18 years with time away to serve in the Oregon House of Representatives and as Executive Director of FOOD for Lane County.

A number of long-debated issues came to a conclusion during my last week on the Council, including, significantly, milestones in the replacement of Eugene’s old, outdated and falling apart City Hall.

My final two votes surrounded keeping the new City Hall, whether fully rebuilt or partially retained, at its current location, in downtown Eugene between 7th and 8th Avenues and Pearl and High Streets.  There it will stay for the next 50 to a hundred years.  But it will look significantly different when the construction progresses.

My last day as a Councilor was momentous it seems only to me.  Recently Councilor Andrea Ortiz resigned from the Council to enter private life.  On the day she concluded her term as a Councilor much was made of her farewell during her last meeting.  As well it should.

For my last meeting, however, no mention was made by staff, the Mayor or other Councilors that it was my last meeting.

On January 7 I will be sworn in as Lane County Commissioner.

On October 22 the Eugene City Council is scheduled to vote on a resolution which would “signal the City of Eugene’s opposition to the transport of coal by train through the city for export via the Port of Coos Bay.”  See a related Forum Lane article here: “Eugene City Council considers a blunderbuss approach to economy and employment in Coos County.” There will be a discussion by a “panel of experts” at tonight’s 5:30 City Council meeting.

A host of elected officials and concerned citizens oppose such a resolution, including Senator Joanne Verger, (D-Coos Bay), House Co-Speaker Representative Arnie Roblan (D-Coos Bay) and many more.

In fact, Congressman Peter DeFazio supports the train–see Forum Lane article “Congressman Peter DeFazio has no objections to coal port in Coos Bay.” The article contains newspaper links.

While opposition to the coal train and the associated rail line and deep water port have been vigorous, the main objections seem to be in three general areas:

1.  Coal trains “up to two miles long” and, “as many as ten a day” will block road intersections in Eugene for hours.

2.  Coal dust filtering from the train will create a film of residue the route of the train.  ” An estimated pound of coal dust per car per mile…is lost to the wind.”  Gillette, Wyoming to Coos Bay is 1069 miles.  If trains have only 100 cars and there are, lets say, five per day, that would equal 534,500 pounds of coal per day “lost to the wind.”  That’s a half million pounds of profit.  Per day.  Hmm.

and,

3.   Global warming.  Burning coal in Asia is a major contributor to the greenhouse gases that cause climate change.

For balance I will provide three general arguments that support running the trains to Coos Bay:

1.  Private money from the companies operating the trains will provide new infrastructure in Western Oregon, including funding the renovation of the Coos Bay Rail Link and the deep water port in North Bend/Coos Bay.

2.  Building the infrastructure and the busy dock will provide both long- and medium-term, high paying jobs in Lane, Coos and other Oregon counties.

3.  Unemployment has caused a sharp rise in poverty levels in the Bay Area–schools there show a disproportionate high percentage of kids needing free and reduced rate lunches (kids are going hungry).  See Forum Lane, “If it were easy to forget about hungry kids…”

All of these questions need to be addressed.  The panel discussion tonight should provide answers.  I will report on my findings, based upon expert testimony, after the panel discussion.