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Economic and dam related articles

Log Jam in Lewiston

by David Sparks
AgInfo.net, June 16, 2015

O'Connell worries that growers will plant other crops.

Tonnage through ACOE locks on the Lower Snake compared to lockage on Columbia River's McNary Dam, the next dam below the Snake River confluence  (1990 - 2010 average). Yesterday we reported that Lewiston Port has been virtually shut down due to a year-long labor dispute with unions. Thus, container ships from Lewiston are no longer available to Northwest farmers for transporting, among other things, their pulse crops to foreign ports. Alternative solutions are being proposed.

Bert Brockey, from George Brockey, and Sons Warehouse where most of the legumes in the area are processed for overseas shipments says they have a short term solution.

"We have come up with short-term answers for using rail, trucks to take them to Tacoma to get them shipped. We are using direct trucks and anything and everything we can."

Sean O'Connell of Pacific Northwest Farmers Co-op says losing water transportation is a big blow to the entire region.

"Without access to the river and that shipping lane, will cause a lot of logistics problems, not only for processors but for other companies in the US and this will add costs to our producers. One of the biggest problems I see is we have become known as a reliable shipper, not just PNW about the industry. This will put a strain on that relationship that we have with our customers overseas."

O'Connell worries that growers will plant other crops.

Related Pages:
Energy Intensities of Freight: Barge, Truck and Railroad US Department of Energy, Transportation Energy Data Book
Economic & Environmental Impacts of Extended Lock Outage by Dr. Ken Casavant, Freight Policy Transportation Institute, 8/11
Industry Reactions to the Columbia-Snake River Extended Lock Outage by Dr. Ken Casavant, Freight Policy Transportation Institute, 6/11

Related Sites:
Columbia Snake River System Extended Lock Closure by Pacific Northwest Waterways Association


From Survey conducted following the 2011 Extended Lock Outage (see Economic & Environmental Impacts of the Columbia-Snake River Extended Lock Outage by Dr. Ken Casavant Freight Policy Transportation Institute, August 2011)

Table 2.3 Typical Wheat Transportation Rates by Survey Respondents
Source: Elevator Firm Survey (Washington, Oregon and Idaho) - Washington State University ($/bushel)
Region Number of Firms Direct Truck to Final Market Truck-Barge Rail
Eastern Oregon 5 $0.50 $0.29 $0.58
Northern Idaho 5 $1.50 $0.58 $0.73
Southern Idaho 3 $0.71 $0.86 $0.83
Northern Washington 5 $0.52 $0.57 $0.54
Southern Washington 8 $1.22 $0.47 $0.55
 
Pacific Northwest 26 $0.89 $0.55 $0.65
(bluefish adjusts for
volume differences by
region, Table 3.1)
  $0.92 $0.51 $0.59

Excerpt from Economic & Environmental Impacts of the Columbia-Snake River Extended Lock Outage by Dr. Ken Casavant Freight Policy Transportation Institute, August 2011: However, energy consumed per ton decreased 4.8 percent due to the heavy use of rail, which is more energy efficient than barge or truck, and the increased use of barge prior to and after the lock outage.


David Sparks, Ph.d
Log Jam in Lewiston
AgInfo.net, June 16, 2015

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