By Kevin McCarty
July 16, 2007

Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, as the new Chair of the Sustainable Freight and Goods Movement Task Force, held an organizational meeting June 23, soliciting ideas and recommendations from mayors on issues to be addressed by the new panel.

Foster led off the discussion with a brief description of the growing dimensions of the freight challenges before the nation, framing the scale of current and projected freight movements through West Coast ports, including the Port of Long Beach. “How do we get the resources and how do we move these growing freight volumes in a sustainable way?” Foster asked. The need for more attention to environmentally sustainable methods for moving more freight was cited as his top priority.

Joining with other leaders of the Conference’s Transportation and Communications Committee, Committee Chair and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper also attended the session, suggesting that there are may be opportunities to explore “more rail solutions” to this growing challenge and this might be an area of inquiry. Meridian (MS) Mayor John Robert Smith noted that there have been some Congressional efforts, including one by Senator Trent Lott, to provide federal funding support for rail relocations to ease the movement of freight through communities.

Urging fair solutions when investments are made to handle growing freight volumes, West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon urged consideration of smaller cities that now host large freight facilities, indicating that these “cities don’t get any consideration.” Duncanville Mayor David L. Green also explained that some freight issues and potential solutions are interconnected across the country and involve facility investments in places that are often far from West Coast ports. Foster also reminded the group that there are still 9/11 issues that need to be addressed.

Foster invited mayors to contact him regarding their interest in serving on the Task Force and pledged to arrange a webcast or conference call with mayors interested in these issues to prepare an agenda prior to the 76th Winter Meeting in Washington, DC.