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January 12, 2016
In this issue:
Northwest Innovation Works is proposing to build a facility at the Port of Tacoma to convert natural gas to methanol.
The methanol would be used as feedstock in Asia to produce olefin, a compound used in such consumer goods as cell phones, plastic components and carpet fibers. The cleaner-burning methanol would help reduce China’s reliance on higher-emission coal and petroleum.
The proposed facility is currently under environmental review through the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) to analyze the likely environmental impacts, feasible alternatives and measures to avoid or minimize adverse impacts.
As the lead agency, the City of Tacoma is currently seeking public comment to determine the scope of the environmental review.
A public meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Jan. 21 at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center. NWIW staff and project materials will be available beginning at 5 p.m. Oral and written comments will be accepted at this meeting.
The 60-day scoping process ends at 5 p.m. Feb. 17. Learn more on the City’s website.
CEO John Wolfe will give an update on The Northwest Seaport Alliance and Port of Tacoma at the Tacoma Propeller Club’s first meeting of the year.
The ports of Seattle and Tacoma formed the alliance to jointly manage the two ports’ marine cargo operations in August 2015. Wolfe currently serves as CEO of the alliance and Port of Tacoma. He will lead both organizations through a transition period of up to five years.
The dinner program Jan. 19 begins at 5 p.m. at the Emerald Queen Casino Conference Center, 5580 Pacific Highway East in Fife. The cost, $30 for club members and $35 for non-members, includes dinner. Reserve your seat by emailing cnigretto@portoftacoma.com by Jan. 13.
Construction began Monday on the intersection of East 11th Street and Port of Tacoma Road.
The weather-dependent work is expected to last 30 to 45 days. It will be completed in five stages, with each expected to last a week. The first stage will close the southwest corner of the intersection.
Traffic patterns will change throughout construction. Beginning today, trucks for Husky Terminal will stage on Port of Tacoma Road until the work is complete. Olympic Container Terminal trucks will continue to stage on East 11th Street. Police officers and flaggers will be directing traffic through the intersection.
See all traffic pattern changes for stage 1, including a map.
Learn what the year has in store for Pierce County businesses at the 2016 Horizons Economic Forecast Wednesday.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber event features a keynote by Elizabeth Laderman, senior economic outreach economist for the Federal Reserve Band of San Francisco. Pacific Lutheran University economics professor Martin Wurm, Ph.D., and Neal Johnson, Ph.D. and principal at Sound Resource Economics, will present the Pierce County Economic Index Report.
The Jan. 13 breakfast begins at 7 a.m. at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center, 1500 Broadway. Find ticket prices and registration information on the chamber’s website.
Applications for the port’s Community Economic Development Investment Fund are due Feb. 5.
With an annual budget of $35,000, the fund supports Pierce County nonprofits and municipal agencies that bring economic development investments to the county. The fund prioritizes investments that create long-term jobs through freight infrastructure projects, attract tourists to Pierce County, and promote international trade and business retention or recruitment.
Find more information, including the funding application, on the port’s website.
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