West Coast ports face political threats that could stifle the nascent commercial recovery they are experiencing, according to the president of the organization that represents shipping lines and terminal operators.

The cash-strapped city governments in Long Beach and Los Angeles are turning to their ports for revenue, while the harbor commission in Seattle is becoming increasingly politicized, Pacific Merchant Shipping Association President John McLaurin told the annual meeting of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition in San Francisco.

Read the rest in the Journal of Commerce, June 14, 2010