Aberdeen, WA - The Port of Grays Harbor last night hosted a public workshop on crude-by-rail, one thing was clear to the standing room only crowd; residents have a lot of public comment on the subject of moving crude oil through Grays Harbor. One woman stated "We don't want this to be the only meeting where we're going to have any questions that we can put forth."  Hundreds packed the Aberdeen Rotary Log Pavilion last night to learn about three projects in various stages, questions to Executive Director Gary Nelson ranged from congestion issues at the Gateway Plaza, to ecological impacts. "This is not part of any permitting process, this is an outreach on behalf of the port and our potential proponents" Opponents questioned the format of the meeting, and asked to hear more from the representatives "well let's hear from them then, bring them on up so we can talk to them." said local History Professor Gary Murrell. Lining the wall behind the standing-room-only crowd were representatives from Imperium Terminal Services LLC, Westway Terminal Company, U.S. Development Group LLC, Greater Grays Harbor Inc., Puget Sound & Pacific Railroad, the State Regulatory Assistance Office, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
After the meeting Aberdeen Mayor Bill Simpson said they plan to find a bigger venue for the next meeting "This was put on by the mayors and sponsored by the port,. We'll have another one, we want to hear what people have to say." If all 3 projects were to break ground, Nelson said it would bring over 100 permanent jobs to the port, plus additional temporary jobs during the construction phases. Nelson encouraged the public to visit the port's website at www.portofgraysharbor.com to provide further input and watch for future meetings.
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