[Vision2020] Grain Exports

[Chris Storhok]

Ron, Mark, Tom,

Not only is the current transportation network is inefficient and subject to
failure when significant strain is placed on it, it also ties the hands of
decision makers when looking for alternatives to river transport for dam
breaching.  Bert Bowler and I collaborated for a few years on alternatives
to barge transportation.  Unfortunately, our conclusion was rather simple
without rail there really is not an alternative to barge transportation on
the lower Snake River.  The cost of restoring the entire rail system that
moved grain prior to the completion of the dams was well in excess of $100
million (it was rapidly approaching $200M in 2003) and had become,
unfortunately, almost politically impossible.  Maybe one of the few
positives of this disaster will be fresh look at our inefficient and
outdated transportation system.
Chris Storhok
   

-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
[mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]On Behalf Of Phil Nisbet
Sent: Friday, September 09, 2005 1:37 PM
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Grain Exports


Ron

The zone is actually from Lewiston to Tri-Cities, with reloading to ocean 
going in Portland or Vancouver.  The tearing out of rails not only of the 
lines mentioned by Chris, but also the old Milwakee line across to St Regis 
took a lot of that transport back to rail to the Tri-Cities and pushed cargo

container traffic to use Rail in Portland or Seattle.

I appologize for lumping all of the other Port facilities from Lewiston to 
Tri-Cities under a single banner.  It was a tad sloppy.  Thanks for pointing

it out.

But Hansen was infering with his rather snid post that the Columbia River 
System was somehow not a significant waterway and that it could not possblyt

handle the shipment of Grain exports.  While New Orleans does ship almost 
twice the grain that this system does, it is actually cheaper if rail were 
still in place to do it, to ship from here and there is more than enough 
availible capacity to do so for the Northern Tier and Midwestern grain 
producers.

If we are at all serious about lowering our reliance on overseas oil, we 
need to lower our use of fossil fuels by moving goods wisely, not on 
semi-tractors, but on modern rail systems.  Just as importantly, we need to 
have a better diversification for our Port systems so that the failure of a 
single mega-Port like New Orleans does not so radically spin us toward 
economic failure.

Phil Nisbet


>From: "Ron Force" <rforce at moscow.com>
>To: <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Grain Exports
>Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2005 13:16:12 -0700
>
>Phil, I believe the 27% applies to the entire Snake-Columbia River system,
>not just the Port of Lewiston.
>
>source:  RTC Bi-State Transportation Committee
>  http://www.rtc.wa.gov/meetings/bistate/bistatereport.011129.htm
>
>**********************************************
>Ron Force         Moscow ID USA
>rforce at moscow.com
>**********************************************
>
>The Port Of New Orleans is indeed a large mover of grains and agricultural
>productsm, but you seem to be disparaging of the Port Of Lewiston.  27% of
>all grains exported from the USA every year go through the port 27 Miles to
>our south.
>
>
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