Inland ports bill could mean big business for rural Nevada | Robert C. Hooper
Robert C. Hooper
This opinion column was submitted by Robert C. Hooper, president and CEO of Northern Nevada Development Authority.
By now, we’ve all seen those photos of the freight congestion faced daily by the ports of Oakland, Los Angeles, Long Beach and other cities on the West Coast. Ships stacked high with merchandise destined for consumers across America wait at anchor just offshore for days upon end for a port berth to open so that they can unload.
The congestion at West Coast ports isn’t going away so long as we remain part of a global economy. But in the growing congestion, there’s great opportunity for Nevada particularly for our rural communities that are eager to strengthen their local economies. Economic development experts tell us that Nevada is particularly well-positioned to create “inland ports” that allow shippers to bypass the costs and congestion of traditional ocean p