My days working on freight mobility policy and economics in this part of the world are over a dozen years in my past, but the core freight mobility issue then remains the core issue now - rail capacity/efficiency.

The freight bottlenecks in the NW aren't marine facilities, it is lack of rail capacity and the dramatic pinch points in the regional freight rail system.

With regard to marine facilities, existing Port of Portland terminals, with planned improvements, can handle more than double today’s cargo volume and still not be at capacity (Source: Port of Portland 2020 Marine Terminal Master Plan). And if we build a “deep water port” at Hayden Island, a large portion of boat traffic still will not be able use it because the Columbia simply isn’t deep enough. This is why most of the container ship market will remain out of Portland's reach. (Source: Columbia River Channel Coalition).

It really boggles my mind that WHI may be handed to the Port to create a "solution" for a problem (marine capacity) that simply doesn't exist.

The press has been all over this issue as a "jobs vs. environment" passion play. However, the simple truth about the "jobs versus environment" at West Hayden Island is that the "jobs" case for developing a marine port has been surprisingly weak from day one. And it hasn't gained any strength during the supposed decades of process.