My Latest Herald Reply

The following is a response I wrote to an anonymous poster on the Bellingham Herald website on 24 August 2011. First the post then my reply.

Lillias , ┐('～`；)┌

Very disappointed in Mike McAuley.
I wasted my vote when I gave it to him.
Shame on you POB; let's see how you change your tune when the trains make you late for work and soots your building.

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Hey Lillias.....while I share the same environmental values as many others in this community, I also took an oath to serve as a Commissioner to the Port of Bellingham. To me, then, I feel I must help balance the Port's core mission with the greater needs of the community and planet.

For example, when a new parking lot is designed at the airport I ask for native plantings, stormwater reuse for watering, LED lot lighting and so on.

Sometimes I win, sometimes I don't but it's important for people to remember that the Port isn't a social organization or like other governments, it is a special purpose government with some pretty specific state law governing its operations.

So while I will continue to push for ever more and better environmental standards at our port it is important for all to know that it must be in context of what the port does.

The following is the Port's mission statement:

The Port of Bellingham’s mission is to fulfill the essential transportation and economic development needs of the region while providing leadership in maintaining Greater Whatcom’s overall economic vitality through the development of comprehensive facilities, programs, and services.

In so doing, the Port pledges to work cooperatively with other entities – within the framework of community standards – and to be a responsible trustee of our publicly owned assets.

Read more: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/08/17/2146052/re-sources-disputes-port-position.html#disqus_thread#ixzz1W19TZGF9

Frustration

Don't be a "Low Information Voter."

The web makes it so easy to verify but people still read a headline, form a judgement and start spouting without ever following through to ensure they are correct.

GRRRR!

DO YOUR RESEARCH PEOPLE!! It's actually fun ;-)

Bicycle Loops, Parking Lot Lights and Deconsumption

Asked for and received - Kudos to your Port of Bellingham staff.:

Last year traffic impact mitigation required a new signal at Roeder and Bellwether, I asked for a bike loop so the light would react to cyclists coming to the light......done!

The traffic signal loop was a nice touch for the community, thank you Adam.

This year I asked for LED lighting in our new parking lots......Norm tells me just this week......done!

Breakdown:

* 33 new LED parking lot lights that draw 60% of the standard metal halide.

* 19 year life expectancy.

* High value recyclable content at the end of life.

* $11,000 cheaper than the metal halide with 30% lower operating costs!! WIN-WIN!!

The LED lights will be a big winner for our energy deconsumption . Good work Norm.

Word of the millenium:

Deconsumption: making do with less (Markowitz and Bowerman).

Port Audit

Port of Bellingham Given Clean Audit by State Auditors

[Bellingham, Wash.] Washington State Auditors reported that the Port of Bellingham met all requirements analyzed in the state annual audit.

"I am always pleased to see the public scrutiny our governments must undergo during the annual audit process,” said Port Commission President Michael McAuley. “While it is a significant achievement to garner no findings year after year, it is also a positive reminder for each and every taxpayer that our port is careful with their money."

In June the auditors completed their annual audit of the Port of Bellingham’s accountability, financial statements and federal grant compliance. The auditors issued a letter stating that they had no findings or major concerns. The audit reviewed records for 2010 and in some cases included previous years.

In 2010 the port collected taxes of $7.4 million, realized $21.2 million in operations revenue, spent $47.6 million on capital assets and increased net assets by $34.8 million. The port manages 1,663 acres of public land that includes 90 port-owned buildings.

Each year auditors choose several areas to more closely review and for 2010, their focus was on: electronic payments, payroll, the Industrial Development Corporation, open public meetings, conflict of interest, self insurance and prior audit issues.

“For 18 consecutive years the port has achieved a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association,” said Port Chief Financial Officer Rob Fix. “I expect our clean audit from the State of Washington for 2010 will lead to the port’s 19^th award. This is a true representation of the hard work and high ethical standards put forth daily by the Port’s accounting team and the entire Port staff.”

Reasons to Support Railroads

The link below leads to a document sponsored by BNSF and CN.

http://www.istc.illinois.edu/about/SeminarPresentations/20091118.pdf

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I've been criticized recently for an op-ed in the Bellingham Herald that, as usual, folks cherry picked to support their criticism. I never said I support coal trains, I never said I support coal usage and I never said I support a coal terminal at Cherry Point.

I *do* support an increase in rail traffic around this country, esp. since folks continue to buy stuff in increasing quantities and that 'stuff' has to get moved somehow. On land we can't move goods more efficiently than on rail so that's why I support rail.

I also support the EPA's soon to be released new rules on pollution sources, so maybe we can see a big transformation in the locomotive fleet soon that goes beyond Tier 4 standards.

Passenger Rail and Roller Coasters

High speed, passenger rail from Vancouver to Tijuana?

I think the best way to approach passenger rail should be to hire the people who build roller coasters.

Now when you stop laughing........... imagine a flat, super high speed rail line that is as simple as an overhead, tubular steel frame, that's lightweight, reliable, cheap, doesn't displace surface users and uses lightweight cars.

Cars would be short like a bus, haul maybe 30 people or whatever seems best based on destinations and would have their own electric propulsion systems capable of pushing a car in front that has broken down. Broken down cars would be pushed to the next station/stop where they would be shunted to a maintenance track.

After ya got a basic design, go talk to the people who build and operate chair lifts and gondolas at ski resorts - they will tell you how to operate and time the system.

Our current inter-city, passenger rail approach uses heavy cars that aren't all that different than a boxcar, displaces freight and costs WAY too much because it's too overbuilt from roadbed to car.

Passenger rail today is built as if every single person needs their own 6000 pound SUV when all that's needed is a 1600 pound SMART car.

Thoughts?

Rail Improvements as a System

I've been a huge supporter of rail for environmental reasons and found this comment on the West Coast Corridor Coalition website:

1. To encourage freight systems approaches rather than a project-level focus in making infrastructure investments. http://www.westcoastcorridors.org/about_us.html

Now that sounds like a great plan. While we debate the merits or faults in the Cherry Point plan we should also be focusing on our regional rail and water connections.

For example, we have a great deal of eastern Washington hay coming to Whatcom County on trucks, why isn't that on a barge or rail car? Of course, there would need to be significant storage, probably in Lynden or thereabouts, but other than that what problems are there?

Or what about a completed rail line to Alaska for fish and freight shipments?