The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay just received a large infusion of federal funds. The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $25 million in planning grants to expand the port project.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., celebrated Wednesday’s announcement, saying the port expansion will not only create 8,000 good paying jobs but also enhance the state’s geographical advantage with the Pacific Rim.
“People ask me what my strategy for economics is? Grow it in Oregon," he said. "Make it in Oregon. And then ship it all over the world because people love buying Oregon stuff.”
The new funding will be used for environmental review, permitting and preliminary engineering. The entire port expansion project will cost billions and take several years to complete. Then, Wyden said, the Port of Coos Bay will be the nation’s only fully rail-to-ship port facility on the West Coast.
U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle, whose 4th Congressional District includes much of the south coast, said the port expansion will have numerous benefits including decreasing greenhouse emissions.
“We’re taking diesel trucks off the road. It’s going to be a green-energy powered port," said the Springfield Democrat. "These are good middle-class jobs with benefits—and we’re bringing them to the south coast.”
The $25 million investment comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highways Projects (INFRA) grant program. The allocation is part of President Joe Biden’s infrastructure package.
