Despite criticism from environmentalists, the $200 million Columbia River channel deepening project generated over $1 billion in capital investments since its completion five years ago, port officials and terminal operators say.

In a new report released by Port of Portland and Pacific Northwest Waterways Association, consultants studied the economic impact of the project that deepened the Columbia River from 40 to 43 feet.

In Cowlitz County, those capital projects include the $230 million Export Grain Terminal at the Port of Longview; the $100 million expansion of Temco Grain Terminal; the $36 million upgrade of Kalama Export Co. grain terminal; and $7 million in rail infrastructure upgrades at the Port of Kalama.

The report also points to $5.15 billion in proposed investments tied to the channel deepening, including Millennium Bulk Terminals’
proposed coal terminal in Longview and Northwest Innovation Works’proposed methanol plant in Kalama.

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