April 20, 2015

The Honorable Anthony Foxx, Secretary U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE , DC 20590

Dear Secretary Foxx:

I am writing to express the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association’s (PNWA) support for the ’s application for a $15.8 million grant under the United States Department of Transportation’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grants program (CFDA 20.933) for its Terminal 4 Pier Modernization project. PNWA is a regional trade association established in 1934 which addresses federal policies and projects related to navigation and other transportation, trade, energy and environmental issues. We encourage development of the region’s multi-modal transportation system to provide safe, secure, efficient, competitive links to domestic and world markets and our membership supports projects such as this one, to advance the region’s economic health and competitive position in world markets.

Terminal 4, part of the Husky Container Terminal, has become outdated in the face of modern containerized ship building trends. With wharfs constructed at odd alignments and cranes unable to handle increasingly larger ships, Terminal 4 is in need of improvements. The Port is seeking federal funds to rebuild the Terminal 4 pier, aligning it with the neighboring Terminal 3 pier to create one contiguous 2,960 foot long pier structure capable of simultaneously berthing two ultra-large container ships. The new pier structure will also be designed to accommodate modern 24-container wide, 100- guage cranes needed to work larger vessels.

The planned upgrades to the Terminal 4 pier will allow the Husky Container Terminal to increase the size of ships it can handle. Today, the terminal can serve ships that carry 6,500 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) containers. After the improvements, the terminal will be able to handle 18,000-TEU vessels with the new cranes, increasing cargo throughput capacity across the pier from about 767,000 TEUs annually to an estimated 1.3 million TEUs. It is the increased throughput that will create the demand for new family-wage jobs in the region.

Today, an estimated 1,519 jobs in Washington State are somehow connected to the movement of cargo through the Husky Container Terminal. The replacement of the Terminal 4 pier will not only ensure the terminal’s tenants remain in Tacoma, but will also provide more cargo throughput and ensure the Terminal remains competitive in today's evolving international shipping market-- providing an opportunity to increase the number of jobs associated with the terminal over time.

I would like to thank you for your time and review of this grant request and urge you give the Port of Tacoma grant application full and fair consideration.

Sincerely,

Kristin Meira Executive Director Pacific Northwest Waterways Association PNWA Membership Roster

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