U.S. Sen. Patty Murray looked out the van window at warehouses and storage tanks while Port of Grays Harbor officials showed off new businesses and shipping traffic Wednesday afternoon. The Port Executive Director pointed out rows of Chrysler vehicles, loads of export-ready logs and heavy machinery ready for shipment to Asia. He motioned to construction efforts renovating one of the marine terminals. He rattled off lists of new shipping partners.
Much of the short tour of the Port marine terminals focused on making a case for federal funding to expand the current rail system. Billy Swor, secretary of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 24, talked about how the waterfront is changing and bringing in new jobs. “An important element to keeping that going is this rail,” he said. “A lot of other cargos are dependent on that rail.”