Posted on 07/16/2006 9:34:47 AM PDT by 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 couldnt happen any sooner than 2011, according to Port of Oakland Maritime Director Wilson Lacy, who presented an overview of the countrys fourth largest ports 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 Countys port cant 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 dont 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 regions 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 Oaklands 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 Oaklands 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.
Can Humboldt Bay compete with Lazaro Cardenas? Will Americans vote to keep our domestic economy healthy, or sell out to the NAU?
"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.
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.
Thats what you want.
60,000 is not enough of an advantage against mexicos cheap labor and lack of enviomental costs.
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:
Humboldt Bay is one of the most pristine and biologically important estuaries on the West Coast, hosting an incredibly diverse array of species
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.
Oh, well. There goes that idea. The envirowhackos will be all over this.
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.
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."
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Excerpt ... Source: Full article
Trans-Texas Corridor questioned
"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.
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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." |
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.
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