COOS BAY, Ore. – The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay’s request for a $1.25 billion grant has been denied, but hope for a source of funding is not lost.
The port’s application for the Mega Grant, which would fund a green energy-powered deep water container port, was denied on January 27th, leaving the fate of the project up in the air.
US Representative Val Hoyle said the improvements would have created 9,000 jobs in Coos, Lane, and Douglas Counties while reducing supply chain issues on the west coast by 12%.
She said there is a bipartisan effort to work with the US Department of Transportation, to approve the project for federal funding in the near future.
“This was disappointing and certainly a speed bump but that’s all it is, a speed bump, we are going to keep fighting in any way possible to make this happen, we owe it to the community of Coos Bay, the state of Oregon, and the rest of the country to make this happen,” said Representative Hoyle.
Representative Hoyle said this was far from their only chance at federal funding with more rounds of the Mega Grant coming later this year.
She said they are also looking into grant options for funding individual parts of the project.
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