PORT OF SEATTLE 
MEMORANDUM 
COMMISSION AGENDA                      Item No.        5c 
ACTION ITEM 
Date of Meeting     September 24, 2013 
DATE:     September 13, 2013 
TO:        Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
FROM:    Dan Burke; Program Lead Planner, Public Affairs 
SUBJECT:  Great Northern Corridor Coalition Memorandum of Understanding 
Amount of This Request:     $5,000             Source of Funds:  Operating Budget 

ACTION REQUESTED 
Request (1) Commission ratification of the Great Northern Corridor Coalition Memorandum of
Understanding between the Montana Department of Transportation and the Port of Seattle and
(2) authorization for the Chief Executive Officer to provide $5,000 for a portion of the local
match of a $299,910 federal grant awarded to the Port of Northern Montana to complete the 
Great Northern Corridor Multistate Planning and Development Study. 
SYNOPSIS 
For the past three years, the Port of Seattle has worked with the Ports of Tacoma, Everett,
Vancouver,  Portland,  Longview,  Kalama,  Grays  Harbor,  the  Washington  Public  Ports
Association (WPPA), Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), the Oregon
Department of Transportation, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad, and the
Union Pacific Railroad to identify and address competitiveness issues of rail transportation from
the Pacific Northwest to the Midwest. The effort is called the Pacific Northwest Gateway
Coalition. 
In addition, the Port of Seattle has joined a second rail coalition called the Great Northern
Corridor Coalition and with federal grant funds will complete the Great Northern Corridor
Multistate  Planning  and  Development  Study.  The  Study  promotes  regional  cooperation,
planning, and shared project implementation for programs and projects to improve multimodal
transportation system management and operations along the Great Northern Rail Corridor 
between Washington State and the Midwest. The Great Northern rail corridor is the BNSF's
corridor through Washington State, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and
Illinois. 
The Port entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Port of Northern
Montana for the Great Northern Corridor Multistate Planning and Development Study on
February 26, 2013. The study was awarded one of the 2012 Multistate Corridor Operations and

Template revised May 30, 2013.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
September 13, 2013 
Page 2 of 3 
Management (MCOM) Program grants by the U.S. Department of Transportation. T he Montana 
Department of Transportation is the lead agency for the study. 
In addition, the Port of Northern Montana has applied for a Phase II grant for this project and
requested letters of support and additional funding from coalition stakeholders for the local
match. The proposed Phase II study will build upon ongoing efforts to identify the opportunities
and needs associated with the Great Northern Corridor from the Pacific Northwest to the Great
Lakes. Funds will be used to develop solutions to enhance the corridor by addressing topics such
as safety, performance, connectivity and economic opportunity. The Port has indicated support
for potential additional funding in 2014. 
Funding for the initial $5,000 portion of the study was inadvertently omitted from the 2013
budget.  Funding for any additional support of the Phase II study will be budgeted in the
Executive's Operating Budget in 2014. 
BACKGROUND 
In late 2011, the Port of Northern Montana, working closely with the Burlington Northern
Railroad, applied for a MCOM Program grant to complete the Great Northern Multistate
Planning and Development Study. Due to their similar missions, the Great Northern Corridor
Coalition and many members of the Pacific Northwest Gateway Coalition have begun working
together to develop a comprehensive plan for movement of cargo across the northern tier of
states. 
Work has begun on establishing the framework of the coalition and initiating outreach to
identified stakeholders. The coalition has also begun to identify opportunities to improve the
technology, operations, and infrastructure of the Great Northern Corridor. It held its first meeting
May 22-23, 2013. 
Additional coalition members providing funding for the planning and development study include
the ports of Tacoma, Everett, Quincy, Pasco, Vancouver, Grays Harbor, Northern Montana, the
Washington Public Ports Association, the BNSF, and the Departments of Transportation of
Idaho, Minnesota, and Montana. There are additional non-funding members in the coalition. 
PROJECT JUSTIFICATION AND DETAILS 
In order for the Pacific Northwest ports to stay competitive with U.S. ports in California, the East
Coast, South Coast, and Gulf Coast, as well as Canadian Ports, we must continue to work with
partners  to  identify  problems  along  the  rail  corridor  and  work  together  to  implement
improvement projects. The Great Northern Corridor Multistate Planning and Development Study
provides an opportunity to work with other stakeholders along the corridor who rely on an
efficient transportation network to help preserve and grow their economies.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
September 13, 2013 
Page 3 of 3 
The project had a kick-off meeting in Shelby, Montana, on May 22 and 23, 2013, where the
coalition members wrote a draft request for proposals. When the consultant is selected, the
project will take approximately 10 months to complete. 
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 
Budget Status and Source of Funds 
Staff is requesting Commission authorization for the expenditure of $5,000 for Phase I as it was
not included in the 2013 budget. Funding will come from the Executive's Operating Budget
funds. If the Phase II grant is successful, additional funding will come from the Executive's 
Operating Budget in 2014. 
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REQUEST 
Great  Northern  Corridor  Coalition  Memorandum  of  Understanding  between  the
Montana Department of Transportation and the Port of Seattle 
Port of Seattle letter supporting Phase I of the Great Northern Corridor Multistate
Planning and Development Study Grant 
Port of Seattle letter supporting Phase II of the Great Northern Corridor Multistate
Planning and Development Study Grant 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS 
None