What Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) and Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Michigan) are seeking is important for all of us, of course [“Lowenthal, stakeholders issue ‘call to action’ on long-term freight infrastructure funding,” April 24, 2015]. The re-authorization of the transportation bill ought to be viewed in the context of the construction already started by China to develop a super-tanker-convenient Nicaragua Canal to compete with the Panama Canal, which lacks the super-tanker capacity and therefore causes those large ships to offload on the West Coast. The impact of the China-owned and operated canal— projected to open in about five years— on local ports certainly will be great; it will be felt locally even more than we might like, especially, if the nation’s logistical or transportation infrastructure is not the very best that it can be.
Richard Stafford
(Website comment)
