DEVELOPING THE NEW SILK ROAD?

The Eureka Reporter ^ | 7/12/2006 | Nathan Rushton

[hedgetrimmer]

Can the Port of Humboldt Bay be a participant in the new “Silk Road” as experts predict West Coast shipping trade traffic with China will triple by 2020?

It could happen with the help of the Port of Oakland, which is setting the stage for a agreement with its northerly neighbor to begin an formal relationship in the upcoming months with the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District.

But actual container shipping between Oakland and Humboldt's deep-water port couldn’t happen any sooner than 2011, according to Port of Oakland Maritime Director Wilson Lacy, who presented an overview of the country’s fourth largest port’s shipping expansion to the commissioners during the Harbor District meeting Wednesday night.

With the proverbial carrot dangling in front of the Harbor District, which has expressed interest in developing its Redwood Dock facility into a marine terminal to increase jobs, Lacy told the commissioners that container shipping terminals are the gold mine of today.

Along with the good news comes one sticking point.

With a room full of North Coast Railroad Authority officials who also met earlier in the day for its regularly monthly meeting, Lacy said Humboldt County’s port can’t take off without a viable railroad.

“The railroads are essential,” Lacy said.

Although goods could be moved north and south to take care of regional area through short-sea shipping, Lacy said the railroad would be important for moving goods to the Midwest and other places where large numbers of people are employed and lived.

But why Humboldt Bay?

Lacy said there is a huge amount of U.S. capital flooding into Mexico because investors don’t know about other deep-water ports that are available for the developing container shipping to handle the anticipated wave of trade with Asia.

With its strategic location, Lacy said Humboldt Bay is closer to Asia by more than a day compared to Los Angeles.

Because it costs shippers as much as $60,000 a day to operate a vessel, Lacy said reducing costs is very alluring to businesses.

Once Oakland partners with the region’s other deep-water ports, such as it did earlier this year with Sacramento, Lacy said it can create a network to stop the capital investment migration from going north and to the south into Mexico.

Following his presentation, Harbor District Commissioner Mike Wilson probed Lacy on what a short-sea shipping service between this port and Oakland might look like.

The model that he said Oakland is looking at would be a weekly barge service to handle Oakland’s overflow utilizing 850-feet-long ships that draw no more than 45 feet of water.

Lacy apologized for giving more attention to the Port of Oakland’s efforts with Sacramento, but added that he had spread the word about Humboldt Bay on a recent trade trip to Europe.

“I would expect that you will have visitors,” Lacy said, which would likely be engineers looking at the feasibility of developing container shipping.

[hedgetrimmer]

Lacy said there is a huge amount of U.S. capital flooding into Mexico because investors don’t know about other deep-water ports that are available for the developing container shipping to handle the anticipated wave of trade with Asia.

[hedgetrimmer]

Can Humboldt Bay compete with Lazaro Cardenas? Will Americans vote to keep our domestic economy healthy, or sell out to the NAU?

[dljordan]

"Will Americans vote to keep our domestic economy healthy, or sell out to the NAU?"

I really don't think we'll have a say in it other than bitching from the sidelines.

[hedgetrimmer]

I wonder how they will sell out short-sea shipping to foreign operators? By rescinding the Jones Act, maybe? If they don't it could actually help strengthen our nearly nonexistent merchant marine. But you can't count on politicians to do the right thing, so never mind.

***

Another major maritime initiative that we are exploring is Short Sea Shipping. Our plan calls for moving freight off congested highways and putting it on waterways….water highways, if you will.

Congested highway corridors, along I-95 on the Atlantic Seaboard, for example, have pointed to the need to develop Short Sea Shipping services to meet the expected expansion in freight movements.

But in order for this initiative to happen, we have to see what we can do in the government to facilitate this process and make this mode attractive to shippers.

Toward that end, we at the Department of Transportation are conducting a comprehensive study of Short Sea Shipping with a view to developing legislative, policy, and regulatory initiatives to foster this under-utilized transportation mode.

Short Sea Shipping will contribute to the continued growth of the U.S. economy by promoting more efficient freight and goods movement and reducing congestion on our highways.

REMARKS FOR
THE HONORABLE NORMAN Y. MINETA
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION

SIXTH ANNUAL NATIONAL HARBOR SAFETY COMMITTEE CONFERENCE
FORT LAUDERDALE

FEBRUARY 24, 2004

[staytrue]

Cheap labor in Mexico and lack of a longshoreman's union will more than offset any advantage Humbolt might have.

Add in the enviro wacko lawyers and Asia traffic will go to mexico.

[hedgetrimmer]

Thats what you want.

[staytrue]

Humboldt Bay is closer to Asia by more than a day compared to Los Angeles. Because it costs shippers as much as $60,000 a day to operate a vessel, Lacy said reducing costs

60,000 is not enough of an advantage against mexicos cheap labor and lack of enviomental costs.

[ThePythonicCow]

Port of Oakland Maritime Director Wilson Lacy

I don't get this. Why is the Oakland port director talking up the port of Humboldt?

And this all seems like a bit of a long shot to me. A good article at North Coast Journal Weekly: Port of Call (June 23, 2005) points out the following problems with the Port of Humboldt:

• The harbor only handles 750 foot ships, whereas 1000 foot are common now.
• The railroad (Northwestern Pacific Railroad) out of there is totally defunct.
• The road out of there, Highway 299 at the Buckhorn Summit, won't handle full sized trucks.
• A shortage of flat land around the harbor suitable for industry.
• Mexican labor is cheaper.
• They have no cranes for loading container ships.
• The cost to ship good by barge south to Oakland is twice the cost to truck it.
• The port is an environmental Garden of Eden. The Environmental Protection Information Center writes:

  Humboldt Bay is one of the most pristine and biologically important estuaries on the West Coast, hosting an incredibly diverse array of species

The only guy I see pushing this enthusiastically is one Charles Ollivier, a longshoreman union boss and old acquaintance of the union's legendary founder, Harry Bridges (and well known communist). Ollivier is looking for a transfusion of government tax money, government bonds and investment money to create jobs rebuilding the port.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I find the presence of other, relatively unknown deep water ports in the U.S. to be good news. Hopefully, the envirowhackos won't throw a monkey wrench into these agreements.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Humboldt Bay is one of the most pristine and biologically important estuaries on the West Coast, hosting an incredibly diverse array of species]

Oh, well. There goes that idea. The envirowhackos will be all over this.

[hedgetrimmer]

I find the presence of other, relatively unknown deep water ports in the U.S. to be good news

Same here. However, it appears there are those that don't want anything to interfere with their dream to loot the US domestic economy in favor of Lazaro Cardenas.

[ThePythonicCow]

Oh, well. There goes that idea. The envirowhackos will be all over this.

Exactly.

I find I can make the most sense of the envirnowhackos by assuming they take their marching orders from Moscow.

If so, they would not want to strengthen U.S. - Chinese shipping.

Just as they have striven successfully for 30 years now to maximize U.S. dependence on foreign oil by suppressing domestic drilling and refining and nuclear power, thus forcing trillions of U.S. dollars to flow into the Middle East (and Venezuala) where Moscow has a greater say in matters.

Moscow was no doubt disappointed when Earth in the Lurch Gore lost the 2000 election.

[Smartass]

Excerpt ... Source:  Full article

Why is a Secure Border Elusive? Who is Responsible?

By Cathie Adams

July 15, 2006

"Controversy has surrounded the Trans-Texas Corridor,(TTC), since it was first proposed. Although Texas drivers on I-35 understand the need for more roads to accommodate the colossal increase of traffic due to the North American Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA, we do not want a foreign company to build our roads, nor do we want to pay tolls on Texas roadways, especially to a foreign country. Five weeks of public hearings, beginning in July 2006, on the project cannot be of much benefit, as the contract is already signed."

<snip>

---

Excerpt ... Source:   Full article

Trans-Texas Corridor questioned

By JONATHAN BLUNDELL Ennis Journal staff writer
Thursday, July 13, 2006 2:09 PM CDT

"ENNIS — It was a large crowd Monday night at the Knights of Columbus Hall, but not as large as some had hoped for.

More than 200 people gathered at the hall to hear a presentation from the Texas Department of Transportation and to express their concerns about the Trans-Texas Corridor, planned to stretch from Mexico to Oklahoma.

State Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, was on hand for the hearing, along with a representative from the office of state Sen. Kip Averitt, R-McGregor.

Several local elected officials were also on hand, including Flo Smith, mayor of Garrett, and county Commissioners Dennis Robinson, Pct. 1, and Larry Jones, Pct. 2.

According to TxDOT, the TTC will use existing infrastructure whenever possible and, in some locations, two or more corridors will be used to carry rail, commercial trucks, personal vehicles and utilities from one end of the state to the other."

 

---

 

Excerpt ... Source:  Full article

 

'Moscow Declaration' Adopted by G-8
Education Ministers — Secretary Spellings Commits U.S.

Incorporating Russian education initiatives, the Moscow Declaration was accepted on June 2, 2006 by the Education Ministers of The Group of Eight (G-8). The U.S. Department of Education explained that the joint declaration is to confirm G-8 member commitment to "cooperation in education at all levels in the 21st century." (U.S. Dept. of Education, 6-2-2006)

The member states — having convened annually since 1975 to discuss economic and political issues — include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1997, the Russian Federation became an officially recognized member.

According to Russia's official news agency - the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (ITAR-TASS) - Russia's Science and Education Minister Andrei Fursenko describes the declaration as:

"both a final document of the conference and the document that will be implemented by education ministers of all the world countries and international organizations, including the World Bank, UNESCO, and UN." (ITAR-TASS, 6-2-2006) The U.S. Department of Education said the member delegates "pledged to share best practices across borders" to build "education systems that can allow people . . . to live and contribute to a global society, and to work in a global economy," (U.S. Dept. of Education, 6-2-2006)

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings remarked at the closing meeting session, "I strongly support Russian Education and Science Minister Fursenko's call to jointly issue the Moscow Declaration of the G-8 Education Ministers" and "This declaration is more than just words on paper — they are words to live by and words to act on."

 

 

[hedgetrimmer]

The purpose of the TransTexas corridor is to secure the supply chain, from a former 'trading partner', now supplier, China. Secure supply chains require corporate ownership of the system, in that, they can scrutinize every user of the chain, and control who can access it. This concept is alien to the American system where roads are paid for by everyone and used by everyone to facilitate free movement of individuals and goods. The supply chain trade corridor highways will facilitate movement of goods, but restrict movement of people, but because they use state powers for eminent domain and state funds to purchase the land, these roads are paid for by everyone but used by few.

[Smartass]

FYI ...

The CFR, by M.C. Piper

Fed. Reserve: US Headed for Bankruptcy

 

[Smartass]

FYI

---

Excerpt....Source:   Full article

 

Scheme’s ringleader betrays Wal-Mart

By Peter Shinkle

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

07/16/2006

A local businessman masterminded a scheme in the late 1990s to bring illegal immigrants to clean floors at Wal-Mart stores across the country.

Wal-Mart paid at least $82.2 million over three years to shell companies set up by businessman Christopher Walters, federal agents discovered. Walters' companies in turn paid subcontractors who hired illegal immigrants from countries stretching from Poland to Mongolia.

When investigators dug into the scheme, Walters cut a deal and became a star cooperating witness in a criminal probe targeting Wal-Mart. He told investigators that a Wal-Mart executive told him to set up the shell companies, and he recorded conversations with scores of Wal-Mart employees.

"Walters created these dummy corporations, but he did so at the direction of Wal-Mart," said Jeff Demerath, Walters' attorney.