Mayor McGinn today announced that the City of Seattle will soon commission a study on the local economic impacts resulting from 18 coal trains passing through Seattle each day. McGinn has previously detailed some of the local traffic and safety impacts that would result from the coal train proposal.
“Seattle’s economy is growing at a faster pace than the rest of the region, state and country,” said McGinn. “As the entire city works together to recover from the longest, deepest recession since the Great Depression, we need to do our due diligence to analyze the negative impacts to our local economy should this coal train proposal become a reality. We have done an initial review of local traffic and safety impacts of this proposal. Now we need to work to make sure that we are protecting our local economy. The impacts from these coal trains will be felt at the local level. That is why we need a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement to help inform policy makers on this proposal.”
“As a waterfront business owner, I’m concerned about additional traffic delays caused by coal trains. My customers need easy access between the waterfront and other downtown attractions such as Pike Place Market, the Olympic Sculpture Garden and Seattle Center. Additional delays at Broad Street could mean serious impacts to my business,” said Kyle Griffith, owner and operator of the Seattle Great Wheel on the Waterfront.
The city of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development is seeking an evaluation of the potential economic impacts of the proposed coal train operations in the City of Seattle, with particular focus on Seattle’s north waterfront and Duwamish Manufacturing and Industrial Center. Findings from this initial economic impact analysis will inform city of Seattle policymakers, interested stakeholders, and the general public of the potential range and magnitude of local economic impacts from the proposed coal terminal and associated train operations. The impact analysis will include:
- Impacts on operations and employment for the Port of Seattle
- Impacts on operations, employment and sales for businesses along the proposed coal train route, including the Duwamish industrial and north waterfront districts
- Evaluation of the displacement of higher value goods being shipped by rail
- Determination of additional infrastructure improvements or policy measures that would be required to support coal train operations and/or mitigate coal train impacts
This analysis will incorporate any existing related transportation and economic analyses for a complete understanding of the coal trains’ economic impact, including any regional and statewide economic impact studies.
The evaluation is currently scheduled to be completed by March 30, 2013.
