Port's marine terminal benefits Thurston County

Once again a few vocal citizens are lobbying to close the Port of Olympia marine terminal. As we engage in that debate we should remember that like all 77 Washington public ports, the Port of Olympia is a special purpose district which has broad economic development powers under Washington law, which can be exercised in partnership with private business and other governmental agencies.

And while the terminal revenue fell to $3.3 million this year, that is still revenue that creates jobs which benefit our community.

Part of the "close the terminal" argument is that the port receives approximately $4 million in annual tax revenues and that the money could be spent elsewhere. The port uses tax revenue to pay down bonds and for environmental cleanup. What is a better use of the tax revenue than that?

What could be done with the marine terminal site after the terminal is shut down? That site has been used to support industry for over 100 years, including a city garbage dump. Turning that area into parks or ball fields would require tens of millions of dollars for environmental remediation at taxpayer expense. And do we really want to force more cargo onto I-5?

Shutting down the marine terminal would deal an economic blow to the community due to lost jobs; it would require additional tax revenue for remediation. The folks who work at the marine terminal and the taxpayers would be the losers.

This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 10:20 AM with the headline "Port's marine terminal benefits Thurston County."