Former Oregon gubernatorial candidate Kevin Mannix will be in Hermiston next week to talk about proposed legislation aimed at restoring container service in Oregon.
Common Sense for Oregon has begun work on a major project to restore container shipping to Terminal 6 at the Port of Portland. Mannix, president of Common Sense for Oregon, is traveling to Eastern Oregon the week of Feb. 14 – 21 to discuss the project. A draft bill has been written which the organization plans to press during the 2017 Oregon legislative session.
Mannix will be speaking at the Hermiston Conference Center on Thursday, Feb. 18 at 10 a.m. Mannix will also be speaking in Pendleton during the afternoon of February 18, at a time and location yet to be determined.
Mannix says the loss of container shipping at the Port of Portland has impacted the Oregon economy and Oregon exporters, especially agriculture exporters. Containers carrying products for export are now typically sent to the ports of Seattle and Tacoma.
Among the action items that Common Sense for Oregon is working to address with this project are: pushing for legislation to establish Oregon Container Shipping Authority (OCSA) as a public corporation with a board of directors composed of Oregonians from the shipping/import/export community; establish the Develop Oregon Container Shipping (DOCS) group to advocate for reforms/changes to re-establish and develop container shipping for Oregon; and support federal labor law reforms to ensure predictable and efficient container shipping operations on West Coast.
For more information about Mannix’ appearance in Hermiston, call the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce at 541-567-6151.
