How a city works...

[Lamplighter]

...with a big dose of taxpayer money...

... Get that shit done. I want work when I'm done here...

Hmmm... Is it something like the army? "Hurry up and Wait"

Sightline Daily
Eric de Place
June 5, 2012

China Turns Away Coal Shipments
Why you can't count on coal markets.

If you follow coal exports, you’ll be fascinated by new developments in China:
at least 30 vessels loaded with unsold coal are sitting off the coast.
According to the energy industry journal Platts:

At least 30 Panamax or Capesize vessels are floating off China’s coast because traders
who bought them have been unable to resell them to end-users,
two industry sources said Tuesday at a conference in Indonesia…

“The situation is really very bad and is getting worse,” one industry source said.

Coal market volatility is exactly why the West Coast has such a terrible track record with coal export.
Facilities in Portland in the 1980s and Los Angeles in the 1990s fell apart in spectacular fashion
—stranding millions of dollars in capital and foreclosing better economic development opportunities
—after supposedly reliable Asian coal demand dried up.

Coos Bay, Oregon has already spent many millions of $ to create a coal-port terminal... betting on the come.
But even those in support of the terminal have their doubts.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
October 03, 2012

EUGENE, Ore. — Lane County commissioners have delayed for two weeks
their consideration of a proposed resolution supporting a coal cargo terminal at Coos Bay, Ore.

Such a terminal would handle coal trains shipped through Eugene.

The Register-Guard reports (http://is.gd/HEUBAN ) that all five commissioners
said Wednesday they supported the delay to give the public more time to comment.
Interested parties will be able to comment at commissioners' meetings Oct. 16 in Florence and Oct. 17 in Eugene.

Environmental groups are fighting several proposals for terminals at Northwest ports
that would ship coal from Montana and Wyoming to Asia.
Supporters include business and labor groups.