The following opinion was published in the East Oregonian. It was written by Jeff and Colleen Blackwood.
The Port of Morrow recently announced the signing of a lease with Ambre Energy North America, an Australian-based company leasing a terminal to transfer coal from rail shipments to barges. The coal will be coming from Wyoming, and it will be eventually shipped to Asia.
Heralded as a sign of business increase and jobs for the area, the announcement should be looked at cautiously by county and state government officials.
There are many other questions in looking at the full picture that should also be addressed. What is Ambre Energy’s liability for problems associated with coal dust and spillage along the rail and barge lines? What mitigation plans will be in effect? In terms of the local economy, other than leasing a terminal, how many jobs are actually being held out as bait by this company? Will they be jobs that are safe and not compromise the health of the people who take the jobs? What competition for river and rail use will this entail? Can the locks and rail system handle the additional traffic?