The Regular Meeting meeting scheduled for 2025-02-11 at Pier 69

Transcript

The Regular Meeting meeting scheduled for 2025-02-11 at Pier 69

This is Commission Presiden Hasegawa convening the regular meeting of February 11, 2025
The time is 10:32am we're meeting in person at Pier 69, which is Port of Seattle headquarters, in the chambers as well as virtually the Microsoft TeaMS Present with me today are Commissioners Cho, Felleman and Mohamed, who are currently gathered in executive session awaiting the opening of the public meeting
And Commissioner Calkins is absent and excused
We're going to recess into executive session to discuss two iteMS The first, regarding collective bargaining, per RCW 42.3 0.1404 and litigation potential litigation legal risk, per RCW 42.3 9.1101 I for approximately 30 minutes
And the second item is going to be regarding national security and computer network Safe Security, per RCW42.31AI and litigation potential litigation legal risk also for 30 minutes
We'll reconvene in public session at 12pm thank you
We are in recess
This is Commission President Toshko Hasegawa reconvening the regular meeting of February 11, 2025
The time is 12:11pm and we're meeting in person at the Port of Seattle headquarters building in the Commission chambers, as well as virtually on Microsoft TeaMS Clerk Hart, please call the roll for all commissioners in attendance
Thank you
Beginning with Commissioner Chao
Present
Thank you
Commissioner Felleman
Present
Thank you
Commissioner Hasegawa
Present
Thank you
And Commissioner Mohammad
Present
Thank you
Commissioner Calkins is absent and excused from the meeting today
Thank you very much
A few housekeeping items before we begin
For everyone in the room, please turn your cell phones to silent
And for anyone participating on Microsoft Teams, please mute your speakers when not actively speaking or presenting
Please also keep your cameras off unless you're a Commissioner or a member of the staff participating virtually and are actively addressing the Commission
Members of the public addressing the Commission during public comment may turn on their cameras when their names call dispute and you will turn them back off again at the conclusion of remarks
And for anyone at the dais, please turn off computer speakers and silencer devices
Please also remember to address your request to speak through the Chair and wait to speak until you've been recognized
You'll turn your microphones on and off as needed
All of the items noted here will ensure a smoother meeting
Thank you
All votes today will be taken by the roll call method or by general consent, so it's clear for anyone participating virtually how our votes are cast
Commissioners will say aye or nay when your name's called
And I'd like to acknowledge that we're meeting on the ancestral lands and the waters of the Coast Salish people with whom we share the commitment to steward these natural resources for ourselves and for future generations
This meeting is being digitally recorded and may be viewed or heard at any time on the port's website and may be rebroadcast by King County Television
Now please stand and join me for the pledge of allegiance
I pledge allegiance to the flag, the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under art indivisible, with liberty and justice for all
Thank you
So our first item of business today is the approval of the agenda
As a reminder, if a Commissioner wishes to make a general comment for or against an item on the consent agenda, it's not necessary to pull it for a separate discussion
Rather, you may offer general supporting or opposing comments later in this meeting
Once we get to that part of the agenda, however, it is appropriate, if a Commissioner wants to ask questions of specific staff or wishes to have a dialogue on a consent agenda item, to request that the item be pulled for a separate discussion at this time
So with that, commissioners, are there any items to be pulled from the consent agenda item or motions to rearrange orders of the day? Then now, commissioners, the question is on approval of the agenda, is there a motion to approve? I'll second
The motion's been made by Commissioner Muhammad and seconded by Commissioner Cho
Are there any objections to the approval as presented or amended? Hearing None
The agenda is approved
Thank you very much
Moving forward to specials order of the day, I will pass it over to Executive Director Metruck to introduce the item
Let me go ahead and read that into the record and
Yep, I forgot that note
So apologies
This is item 4A
It's a proclamation proclaiming February 19, 2025, as a day of remembrance and recognition of Executive Order 9066
Good afternoon, President Hasegawa and commissioners
This proclamation recognizes the profound significance of February 19th as a day of remembrance, marking a dark chapter in our nation's history
On this day in 1942, Executive Order 9066 led to the forced removal and incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans, including many from Washington State, solely based on their ancestry
This proclamation serves as a solemn acknowledgment of past injustices and a reaffirmation of our commitment to equity, justice, and the protection of civil liberties for all
By remembering these injustices, we honor the resilience of Japanese Americans and renew our dedication to ensuring that history's mistakes are never repeated
Commission Strategic advisor Francis Cho will present the Proclamation and the speakers with us here today
Thank you very much
Executive Executive Director Good afternoon, Madam President, Commissioners Executive Director Metruck, my name is Francis Cho, Commission Strategic Advisor
This proclamation designates February 19, 2025, a day of remembrance and recognition of Executive Order 9066 and is being introduced by Commission President Hasegawa today
Three distinguished community members will help read the proclamation into the record
Irene Yamamoto is a Densho Board member
Denshu, a non profit organization, seeks to document oral histories from Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during World War I I'm sorry, World War II
This evolved into a mission to educate, preserve, collaborate and inspire action for equity
Next we will have Kyle Kinoshita, Co President of the Japanese American Citizens League, Seattle Chapter
JACL is a national organization whose mission is to secure and safeguard the civil and human rights of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans and all communities who are affected by injustice and bigotry
Last we will have Del Watanabe, Nisei Veterans Committee Commander the Nisei Veterans Committee, a veterans organization whose mission in part is to preserve and honor the Japanese American legacies and to provide community programs that meet the educational, cultural and social needs of the broader community
Without further ado, I will yield to Irene Yamamoto to begin to begin the reading of the Proclamation
Thank you
Whereas history reminds us of the critical importance of vigilance in upholding civil rights and justice for all and the unjust treatment of Japanese Americans during World War II serves as a solemn reminder of the consequences of racial prejudice and injustice
And Whereas on February 19, 1942, President Franklin D
Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, signifying one of the most sorrowful days in American history, authorizing the forced removal and incarceration of over 120,000 individuals of Japanese descent, 2/3 of whom were US citizens, denying them to the constitutional rights and Whereas the State of Washington has a unique and painful connection to this history
As thousands of Japanese Americans were uprooted from their homes, farms, businesses and vibrant communities in Seattle, Auburn, Fife, Tacoma and throughout the state
And Whereas Bainbridge island became one of the first communities in the US to experience forced removal under Executive Order 9066, the late Fumiko Hayashida, born on Bainbridge island in 1911, became one of the first Japanese Americans to be incarcerated
An iconic photo of Fumiko, who was 31 years old, is holding her sleeping 13 month old daughter Natalie while waiting to board a ferry from Bainbridge island on March 30, 1942
Humeko was among the 227 Japanese Americans forcibly Removed from their homes, they were sent to the Manzanar Relocation center in California before being transported to Minidoka Internment Camp in Idaho
Incarceration of Japanese Americans would last roughly three years, with most camps closing by late 1945 and the last, Camp Drule Lake, closing in March of 1946
And Whereas the Puyallup assembly center, euphemistically named Camp harmony, was among 17 hastily constructed temporary detention sites established across the West Coast
Located in what is now the Washington State Fairgrounds, these centers were primarily used as staging areas before detainees were transported to more permanent camps
And Whereas despite tremendous adversity, Japanese Americans demonstrated incredible resilience, contributing immeasurably to the nation both during the war effort and in the decades that followed, embodying the ideals of hope, perseverance and patriotism
And Whereas one such striking example of patriotism in the face of adversity was the service of the Japanese American Misei second generation veterans
Japanese Americans served throughout the theater of war and comprised the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the 100th Infantry Battalion, which was the most decorated fighting unit in the United States military history, who fought in Europe and the Military Intelligence Service, the linguists who served in the Pacific and in the U.S
despite their families being incarcerated behind barbed wire and Whereas the lessons learned From Executive Order 9066 remain especially relevant today as the injustices faced by marginalized groups demand our collective commitment to confronting prejudice, advancing equity and inclusion, and reaffirming our dedication to protecting civil liberties, equity and justice, especially in times of crisis
And Whereas last month Nihonmachi Valley, a public exhibit space in Seattle's Chinatown International District, was defaced
The public art exhibit put on by the Winglut Museum in part displays murals memorializing the incarceration of Japanese Americans
The iconic photo of Fumiko Hayashida holding her daughter Natalie is one of those murals
Whereas the Port of Seattle honors the legacy of Japanese Americans in the Puget Sound region region, recognizing their contributions to our cultural, economic and social fabric, while committing to fostering a future that upholds justice and the dignity of all and Whereas the Port of Seattle Commission denounces all acts of vandalism, harassment, intimidation, discrimination, or any other forms of bigotry against any and all individuals and affirms the right of every individual to equal protection under the law and Whereas the Port of Seattle Commission solemnly acknowledges and commemorates February 19, the day of remembrance, as a time of reflection on these injustices and as an opportunity to educate our to educate our community and ensure that such violations of rights are never repeated and Whereas, in April 2023, the Port of Seattle Commission unanimously passed the Equity Policy Directive institutionalizing equity, diversity and inclusion as a central part of the organization and its work and Whereas the Port of Seattle Commission reaffirms the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion as core values of its mission and demonstrates unwavering and steadfast support of its Office of Equity Diversion and Inclusion, ensuring it remains fully supported and actively advancing its initiatives
Now, therefore, the Port of Seattle Commission hereby proclaims February 19, 2025 as a day of remembrance for Japanese American incarceration and honors the resilience, dignity and contributions of Japanese Americans in the face of injustice, committing to uphold equity and civil rights for all
Proclaimed by the Port of Seattle Commission this 11th day of February 2025
Thank you thank you, Dale, Kyle and Irene and Francis for the reading of the Day of Remembrance proclamation, and thank you to my colleagues for entertaining it
If you'll afford me the personal privilege of leading on Remarks My great grandfather Yoshinobu worked on a ship
He traveled by SEA between Japan and America several times before finally deciding to disembark and set down routes in Seattle in search for better work
He sent for a picture bride, my great grandmother Sen, and together they built something from nothing a brighter future for themselves and for their four children who were born in Seattle as American citizens
My grandfather Hiroshi, my auntie Naoko, Uncle Yukio, and Uncle Yuki Nao
My great grandma Sen passed too early in childbirth with my uncle Yukinau when my grandfather was just six years old
As a single father, my great grandfather worked tirelessly to provide for aye
family, but he was poor
He heavily relied upon the Japanese Baptist Church located at the end of Broadway near Yesler
That church became my grandfather and aye
siblings refuge
It's where they lived and where they slept on the ground, and where the women of the congregation helped raise aye.
In absence of my great grandmother, they are even able to finally, according to the census, find a place where they could stay on their own
By the time he was in high school, on February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, and the Western Defense Command issued a notice to all people of Japanese ancestry requiring them to report to assembly centers
They were told they were being evacuated for their own safety
They were given short notice to make whatever arrangements they could for their belongings, and they were instructed to pack only what they could carry
And so began the forced removal of over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry Most of them were children
Bank accounts were frozen
Assets were seized
Interracial couples were separated, their animals, their belongings abandoned
My grandma and my grandpa at the time were teenagers at Broadway High School, which we know today as Seattle Central Community College
On February 19, 1942, Japanese American students made up 25% of its student body
But by April, that number was zero
And everything that my great grandfather had worked for was gone
They were transported in mass to the Puyallup Assembly Center, Euphemistically named Camp Harmony
It's what you now recognize today as the Puyallup Fairgrounds
You have lovely memories of that place, but what it was was horsebacks and mud from there
After a time, they were shipped further inland, isolated from the word, out of sight and out of mind
It was dehumanizing
They slept in horse stalls instead of paved walkways
Mud at Minidoka, dust
They were fed food unfit for human consumption, fit for prisoners of war
And they were denied dignity, left with nothing but holes in the ground and makeshift barriers to serve as their only semblance of privacy
And they were surrounded by all sides by barbed wire fences
Watchtowers loomed overheads, staffed with armed guards
Their weapons were pointed inwards
And yet each day the incarcerees, my grandparents included, would stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance, dutifully declaring, with liberty and justice for all
No crime was committed, no trial or due process
But the resistance that took place within the camps was great
It looked like Gordon Hidebayashi openly defying internment, turning himself into the FBI for breaking curfew
He invited jail time and prosecution in order to challenge the legality of the order
In the landmark case, Hidebayashi versus the United States, Resistance looked like no
No boys who answered to their loyalty, questionnaires in defiance
No, I will not serve in the U.S
army
And no, I will not forgo allegiance to the Emperor who never had my loyalty to begin with
And it looked like the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the segregated unit of Japanese American soldiers who heroically broke the Gothic line in Italy and became the most decorated battalion in U.S
history
They fought for America's ideals even as their families were denied those very ideals back home behind barbed wire
And it looked like incarcerees inside, creating beauty despite their captivity
Art, baseball fields, crops forming communities, deepening their faith
Years passed before the gates found finally opened and they were allowed to return home
The mass incarceration of Japanese Americans has since been acknowledged as a grave injustice, one that resulted from what historians refer to as a Failure of political leadership and the rallying cry of the Japanese American community became never again
Densho
Former Executive director Tom Ikeda once said, history does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme
Last week at my daughter's daycare, I noticed a posting inside the door that said, ICE agents may not enter without proof of a warrant
It struck me that the fear that our communities live in today is real and it's immediate
The very tangible possibility that an agent could enter a classroom and take away a four year old
We understand that racism, xenophobia and intolerance are the seeds of harmful political action
And we understand what that looks like in its present day of forced removal, indefinite detention, denial of due process
We recognize what this looks like
And that's why the Day of Remembrance is not just about reflecting
It's a call to action
One that compels us to learn from our lessons so that they won't be repeated today and not into the future
Oh, you're locked
Yeah, hot mic
Someone needs to turn off their mic online
I'd like to thank our presenters and I'd like to thank my colleagues
And most of all, I'd like to thank all the people day in, day out, in a systemic level, but also in the very front lines
Something as simple as a daycare who the provider's very job is to keep our children safe and healthy, are doing the work to protect our communities
Thank you, Commissioner
Who wants to follow that up? Happy to
Commissioner Mohamed
Well, first, I just would like to start by thanking the speakers for sharing your powerful words as well and reading the proclamation and for everyone who worked on it
And I want to thank Commission President Hasegawa for your words, for your reflection
I feel like anytime you bring a proclamation forward, it's almost a history lesson
And I just appreciate the thought that goes into how you bring these proclamations forward
And I appreciate your voice on this commission
Your voices as a collective remind us why this history must never be forgotten and why our commitment to justice must be unwavering
So I thank you, Commission President Hasegawa, for bringing this proclamation forward and for ensuring that we honor the past while taking action for a more just future
And I'll just say, like, in light of all of the geopolitical conflicts unfolding around the world and even here at home, this is a moment that serves as a critical reminder of our responsibility to stand for justice, inclusion, and the protection of all communities
And at the port, we do reaffirm our commitment to stand against discrimination and exclusion in all its forms, period
And I want to make it very clear for both the listening public and for the port staff and everyone that we are prepared to defend our values as a port to defend the values of equity, inclusion and justice for all
Always
And so again, I thank you for bringing this proclamation forward and thank all those who worked on it
Commissioner Felleman, Commissioner Cho gets to play cleanup
I very much appreciate the speakers and President Hasegawa for leading this effort and helping us understand where we been so that we know where we're going and avoid making similar mistakes in the future
The rally of Never Forget is very analogous to to the Holocaust Remembrance Day of Never Again
And it's interesting to note that while Holocaust remembrance day was the 27th where 2/3 of the European Jewish population was exterminated and the February 23rd is the Chinese Expulsion Remembrance Day
So it seems like nobody's beyond discrimination
And I think the fact that when perhaps we should be talking about paying attention now and the dehumanization of people, the idea that we could displace Gazans or Greenlanders, the idea that we're even talking about things like this, if we don't pay attention now, we are only going to suffer these same mistakes again
I am greatly appreciative
I know that Kyle has participated in the Asian Jewish alliance work with that I've attended
And these unlikely coalitions are needed more than ever right now
And I hope that persists as things continue to heighten in it the anti the discriminatory behaviors that are continuing to occur here and around the world
So thank you for reminding us of all this and never again
Commissioner Choir
Thank you President Hazegawa and thank you to our guests today for taking the time to come to us and read the proclamation
You know, the Day of Remembrance has a special place in my heart not because I'm Japanese American, but because, you know, I worked for Senator Bob Hasegawa in the State Senate
And I had the great fortune of organizing the Day of Remembrance for two years when I was working for Senator Hasegawa
And you know, when the NVC and Densho and all these amazing members of the community came allowed me to really connect with leaders and those who continue to take the mantle of Never Forget
And in fact I was reflecting back on the last time I organized Day of Remembrance
And I remember meeting Shikta Nagi who I think at the time was around 95 and I had this opportunity
We always break bread afterwards and talk to aye.
And you know, the 100th Infantry Battalion was the most decorated battalion in U.S
history
In military history
And I remember asking aye., what do you think motivated you all to fight so hard? And he said, we had to prove ourselves
We had to prove ourselves as Americans
And that aye
me because I remember my late mentor, Norm Mineta, who was, you know, not in the 442 or he was too young at the time, but even after retirement, I remember Norm would always wear an American flag on aye
lapel of aye., of aye
suits
And I remember asking aye., man, you're always wearing that American flag on your lapel
And I remember aye
response being, because I feel like I always have to, you know, prove myself and show that I'm just as American as anyone else
And that was a remnant of aye
experience as a child being thrown into the incarceration camps
And so this phenomenon of being a perpetual foreigner or, or not American enough continues to be something that we as minorities in this country continue to deal with and fight through
Obviously, as a center of immigrants, my parents continue to fight this
And sometimes I'm asked where I'm from too
But going down the path of history, if you don't mind, when we talk about the Day of Remembrance in the Nisei veterans and the 442, there's one aspect of that history that I love to remind my community, the Korean American community, and that is of a colonel in the U.S
army named Yong OK Kim
And I'm seeing some head nods
So I'm sure you all, some of you may know young Okim, but Young Okim was a second generation Korean American
He was born in Los Angeles and he was placed in the hundredth infantry battalion of the 442
And as a Korean, the army actually realizing that he was actually Korean and not Japanese, he was offered a transfer
And he responded, he actually rejected the transfer
And he said, there are no Japanese nor Koreans here
We're all Americans and we're fighting for the same cause
And so he chose to stay with the hundredth and the 442 and fought valiantly beside the Japanese
And that spirit of oneness, E pluribus unum out of many, one is our motto as a country
But that's who we are as a country, as a people
E pluribus unum out of many, one
That is diversity
That is diversity
And it's super disheartening for us to see that diversity, equity, inclusion is being attacked in today's climate politics, because we all know that is what makes America exceptional
That is what makes America America
And look, I think we live in the greatest country in the world, full stop
But the experience of the Japanese Americans is proof that we are not perfect, that we don't always get it right, whether it's on a national level or even at a commission level
And that we are an experiment
And that the 442, the incarceration of Japanese Americans and the reminder of the recognition of the Day of Remembrance serves as a sober reminder that we're still working on it and that each day we work
And I'm just grateful to my colleagues here
Thank you, Commissioner Hasegawa, for your leadership
Thank you for continuing to run with the torch of those who came before us as an example of what can happen, what should never happen again, and what we're fighting for
Thank you
Thank you
Commissioners
I'm wondering if there is a motion on the floor to adopt a proclamation
Motions so moved
Second been made by Commissioner Muhammad and seconded by Commissioner Cho
Are there any further comments? Seeing none
Clerk Hart, please call the roll for the vote
Thank you
Beginning with Commissioner Cho
Aye
Thank you, Commissioner Felleman
Aye
Thank you, Commissioner Mohammed
Aye
Thank you, Commissioner Hasegawa
Aye
Thank you
Four ayes zero nays for this item
Thank you all
And that brings us to the next item on our agenda, which is the executive Director's report
Executive Director Metruck, you have the floor presenter
Hasegawa
Commissioners, good afternoon
Along that very appropriate proclamation about the upcoming Day of Remembrance and our commitment to equity, justice and protection of civil liberties for all, I want to start by acknowledging that February is also Black History Month
At the Port of Seattle
We celebrate the achievements and history of African Americans annually
And this year we celebrate African Americans in labor through our celebrations
We're focusing on a quote from A
Philip Randolph, the labor and civil rights leader who founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, a black union, and helped organize the March on Washington in 1963
He says, and I quote, equality is the heart and essence of democracy, freedom and justice
Equality of opportunity in industry and labor unions, schools and colleges, government, politics and before the law
And this is how we strive to do our work here at the Port of Seattle
For example, on the side of inclusion recently at the recently concluded Seattle Boat show at Lumen Field, our maritime division sponsored six different port guest organizations
Providing dedicated exhibit booth space on the shore floor gave us an opportunity to provide underserved boating programs that would have not otherwise been included in the boat show
The sponsored organization included SeaStr, which creates inclusive access to waterborne activities and Future Tides, an independent news organization for the Pacific Northwest waterways
Other forecasts included the Corinthian Yacht Club, Youth Sailing and of course Waterfront Alliance, Sisters in Action Sports Seafare Volunteers and Port Anti Human Trafficking Team
I have a few additional community engagements also to announce going forward, we are hosting our four we are hosting four upcoming information sessions for South King County Fund Economic Opportunities for Communities Program
This program supports economic opportunity within the Port area and information sessions take place in February 12th, 13th, 19th and the 26th in Tukwila, Kent at the Ports Duwamish Community Hub and online
More information is on the Events section of the Ports Port of Seattle website
Staying with Community updates tomorrow, February 12th the SEA Stakeholder Advisory Roundtable START holds a State Policy Advocacy Day in Olympia
We plan to build on the success of the START DC fly in in 2023, which led to the four Airport City priorities being included in the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act
As with the federal advocacy effort, we believe that this is the first time an airport sponsor has worked with local communities to help advocate for shared aircraft noise and emissions policies
At the state level
Representatives from each of the six airport cities, including six elected officials, will be attending
This includes Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Normandy Park, SEA Tac and Tukwila
I also want to highlight another upcoming community event on Saturday, March 1st from 10:00am to 12:30pm we invite the public to join Port staff and partners as we plant 300 native trees and shrubs near the City of Sea-Tac PacWest Little League fields
Ongoing maintenance projects like this are very popular and increase tree canopy and improve the ecosystem diversity
To conclude our community updates, I want to thank you, thank you Commissioners and to recognize the External Relations team for successful State of the Port Breakfast last week
We're well on track to having a record setting event in terms of attendance
We had over 400400 that RCP, but the inclement weather put a little damper on that
But we still even in that weather we still add over 300, 309 attendees
So I appreciated the remarks from each of you sharing our vision for the Port for the future and your time during our planning and also for your time during our training retreat that followed
Before turning to today's meeting, a few updates on issues that have been in the news
First, I want to recognize that the Aviation Division for their work managing both the inclement weather last week and as well as the airfield collision of two aircraft in a taxiway between the South Concourse and the South Aviation hangars and I want to thank those teams at the Aviation Division for staying ready prepared and focused for whatever could happen
Finally, at my last Executive Director report, I shared that our staff and industry partners continue tracking news out of the Trump administration that may impact port operations or prograMS Many employees and partners are asking if the port has been impacted by the federal funding freeze which it's now underway, which is now under a court ordered withdrawal
At this point, we are not aware of any examples of missed payments to the port
We are asking our staff to closely track any issues raised by federal employees interacting that interact with the port about leaving the workforce or changes to programs or policy
This is a rapidly evolving situation and we'll continue to monitor this
Our employees and members of the community are also asking if changes related to immigration policy and enforcement impact the Port of Seattle
As one of the largest international airports in the country, we serve people from all over the world and our employees and the 200 or the 20,000 plus workers at SEA represent many different cultures, countries and communities
Our rich diversity makes us stronger here in the port
Last month, the Ports Police Department conducted a refresher training for their officers on immigration policies in the state's Keep Washington Working law as they do this every year
Our number one priority is the safety of the people that we serve
We have a long history of supporting immigrants and refugees and making SEA a welcoming, inclusive gateway to the Pacific Northwest in our nation
This is an issue that we take seriously and and it's something that the Port of Seattle will continue to prioritize in our work
If there's one thing the Port of Seattle staff have become very if there's one thing that the Port of Seattle staff is they've become very good over the past few years and that is adjusting to new and challenging situations and we'll continue to do that
I'm confident that we'll be able to continue to make progress on our strategic priorities and our values
Moving to today's Commission meeting, I want to highlight a few items on our agenda
We're always looking for ways to enhance safety in our operations and on our consent agenda we have an action related to designing a virtual ramp tower
This innovative technology is currently only deployed at a few airports across the country
Once constructed, the virtual ramp tower will integrate with existing systems and data feeds to create more efficient and safer operations, such as using infrared cameras to be able to see planes at low visibility conditions
We also have an order on child care and briefings on our local and regional policy priorities as well as our Pacific Northwest to Alaska Green Corridor project
While there are 62 green corridor initiatives around the world
The Pacific Northwest to Alaska project is the only one focused on cruising and one of the first initiated of all the green corridors
We're very proud that the Board of Seattle is playing such a critical role in developing and advancing this project
I'm pleased to say that across the board, the industries we work with remain committed to their transition to clean fuels
What I find when meeting with leaders in red and blue states and outside of the United States is that whether you are motivated by reducing emissions or increasing energy independence, energy security or innovation, the transition to clean energy alternatives is viewed as a necessary step for our resilience and competitiveness in the future
That is certainly the Port's perspective, but it's been reassuring to see it shared so universally across the industries and geographies
I'll have more to say about these items during their introductions
Commissioners, thank you
That concludes my remarks
Thank you
Executive Director Metruck Commissioners, do you have any questions for the Executive Director? Seeing none, we are now at Committee reports which will be introduced by Erica Chung, Commission's Strategic Advisor
Good afternoon, President Asagawa, Commissioners Executive Director Metruck I have one committee report for you today
On Tuesday, February 4, President Hasegawa and Commissioner Mohamed convened the AV Workforce Conditions ad Hoc Committee where they reviewed the Child Care Feasibility Navigator Order
With the inclusion of citing and leveraging existing state and local programs language
The Committee recommends the order for Commission action at today's Commission meeting later today
Thank you
This concludes my report
Thank you, Erica
Thank you, Erica
Are there any follow up questions for Commissioners regarding committee reports? Seeing none, we will continue on our agenda to public comment
The Commission welcomes public comment as an important part of the public process
Comments are received and considered by the Commission in its deliberations
Before we take public comment, we're going to review the rules for in person and virtual comment
So Clerk Hart, please play the recorded rules
The Port of Seattle Commission welcomes you to our meeting today
As noted, public comment is an important part of the public process and the Port of Seattle Commission thanks you for joining us
Before proceeding, we will overview the rules governing public comment
For your general information
Each speaker will have two minutes to speak unless otherwise revised by the Presiding Officer for the purposes of meeting efficiency and the speaker shall keep their remarks within the allotted time provided a timer will appear on the screen and a buzzer will sound at the end of the Speaker's comment period
The Commission accepts comments on items appearing on its agenda and items related to the conduct of Port business
Presiding Officer will ask speakers to limit their comments to these topics
This rule applies to both introductory and concluding remarks
Disruptions of Commission public meetings are prohibited
General disruptions include, but are not limited to, the Speaking before being recognized by the Presiding Officer holding or placing banners and signs in the meeting room in a way that endangers others or obstructs the flow of people or view of others at the meeting Intentionally disrupting, disturbing, or otherwise impeding attendance or participation at a meeting Refusing to follow the direction of the Presiding Officer or security personnel Attempting to use the comment time for purposeful delay without conveying a discernible message Using the comment period to assist in the campaign for election of any person to any office or for the promotion of or opposition to any ballot proposition, except when addressing action being taken by the Commission on on a ballot proposition appearing on its agenda directing public comments to the audience engaging in abusive or harassing behavior including, but not limited to, derogatory remarks based on age, race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, disability, pregnancy, sex, gender, sexual orientation, transgender status, marital status or any other category protected by law the use of obscene or profane language and gestures, assaults or other threatening behavior and sexual misconduct or sexual harassment for safety purposes
Individuals are asked not to physically approach Commissioners or staff at the meeting table during the meeting
Individuals may provide written public comment before or after the meeting, and in addition, speakers may offer written materials to the Commission Clerk for distribution during their testimony to the Commission
A detailed list of the public comment rules is available through the Commission Clerk
If a meeting is disrupted by an individual in attendance in the meeting room or by an individual providing public comment in person or virtually, the court will impose progressive consequences that may result in exclusion from future meetings
Written materials provided to the Clerk will be included in today's meeting record
The Clerk has a list of those prepared to speak
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If joining, virtually repeat your name for the record and state your topic related to an item on the agenda or related to the conduct of poor business
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Our public comment period will now commence
Thank you again for joining us today
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Recorded Voice Clerk Hart, please take us through public comment
We'll start with in person and then go virtual
Thank you
Beginning with in person, I have Tom Johnson
I'll pick you up, so please go ahead and yes, and restate your name for the record
Tom and the item or topic related to port business you want to talk about
I'm Tom Johnson and I am here to spe speak in support of agenda item 8k
Welcome
Floor is yours
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Good afternoon, President Hasegawa Commissioners and Ed Metruck
My name is Tom Johnson and I'm a member of the port's Transgender Inclusivity employee Resource group
I have come on my own time today to speak in support of the proposed federal legislative agenda items 8k
I urge you to adopt it and then quickly to mount a strong, united and very, very public defense of the port's raised values and century agenda
Today's item lays out how much the port's constituents need it to be a leading voice on free travel, speech, immigration and medical care and to join its constituents to fight against the anti blackness, transphobia, Islamophobia, anti Asian and immigrant bashing that animates so many recent federal actions
We port employees were relieved by recent internal messages to and from executive leadership expressing strong support and commitment around these values
Don't all port constituents deserve this same relief and reassurance that we received internally? Area employers, workers and voters need to know the port has their backs now when there's so much temptation to cave in advance to the federal bluster
As an example, look at Seattle Children's Hospital, a local institution whose leadership recently threw their own gender clinic page patients, their families and staff under the bus by canceling gender affirming medical care in an admitted attempt to curry perceived federal favor
Now, the Port of Seattle is stronger than that and better than that
My time working among you has taught me this, and everyone in the region deserves to know it too
And the port has the external relations team to help make it happen
When the port decided to map to defensive industrial zoning recently, leadership moved like lightning to develop and deliver public commentary to the press and to gather constituent allies to develop a joint public letter that it broadcast widely
Leaders moved fast because they believed the port's constituents deserved to see them suit up and show up
Today's proclamation reminded me how the brutal World War II Japanese American incarceration experiences found their groundwork in powerful local white business leaders who gained and held the ears of, among others, the Governor, Art Langley, a former Seattle mayor
These leaders had lobbied and agitated for years for the expulsion of all Asian Americans from our region and expropriation of their property
The war was the excuse these forces needed, not their cause
And such forces are again at the ready today
Today's item 8 case shows how much the port's broad constituency deserves to see its full public energy brought to bear around these federal issues
I can tell you that employee, resource group members across all the port's line of business stand ready to help
Thank you
Thank you very much
Clerk Hart Go ahead and invite our next speaker
Thank you
Our next speaker from our team's call is Aaron Brakel
Aaron, if you're joining us by telephone Star 6 to unmute otherwise, please restate your name for the record and the agenda item or topic you'd like to speak about related to the conduct of Fort Business
Yes, this is Aaron Brakel
Can you hear me? We can hi
Thank you very much
My name is Aaron Brakel
I am the Clean Water Campaigns Manager for the Southeast Alaskan Conservation Council
I appreciate the opportunity to speak with the Park Commission today
My comments are about item 11A, the Pacific Northwest Alaska Green Corridor and the scope of the fuel use baseline work that is currently currently underway
I'm addressing you from one Land on Southeast Alaska Conservation Council has been working to protect the lands and waters of Southeast Alaska for over 50 years
I grew up in downtown Juneau and I've had a front row seat to the growth of the cruise industry in our port since 1970 and my son lives in Seattle
As an organization, we do not have a public position at this time on the Green Corps
We are, however, strongly opposed to the use of heavy fuel oil and scrubbers
Through its tariff provisions, the Port of Seattle has acknowledged the environmental harms of scrubber waste discharge and has prohibited scrubber discharges from vessels at Berke in support of the International Maritime Organization Direction to get shipping to net zero by 2050 the baseline for the Pacific Northwest to Alaska Green Corridor should include the full Alaska cruise ship route, not just the first mover ports in Southeast Alaska
It should include all ocean going cruise vessels that depart from Seattle and Vancouver with Alaska stops
This will help to clarify the parameters for this larger net zero objective for cruise ships departing your port in the Alaska trade
The baseline should include each type of fuel used and the volume of each fuel used, including heavy fuel oil, marine gas, oil, ultra low sulfur, diesel, liquid, natural gas and any other fuel used
Specifically, the baseline should identify how many vessels use heavy fuel oil and how many use 0.1% sulfur emission control Area compliant fuel and how much heavy fuel oil is used and each type of fuel
Thank you very much for the opportunity to provide this comment today
Thank you
Erin can introduce the next speaker
Yes, our next speaker from the room is Sally Andrews
Sally, please go ahead and repeat your name for the record in your agenda item or topic related to the conduct of port business
You rest wish to Speak about, please
Good afternoon
My name is Sally Andrew
I'm a Vice President for Cruise Lines International association, or CLIA
My comments today are in support of Agenda Item 11A, the Pacific Northwest to Alaska Green Corridor
I'm here today representing our member cruise lines, many of whom were first movers in this initiative
First, I want to acknowledge all those who are participating in evaluating this opportunity
Assessing the feasibility of a green corridor is a true collaboration between the public and private sector
Maritime decarbonization is challenging, layered and complex, covering many aspects including the availability of alternative fuels, how fuels are delivered and bunkered, cruise ship technical considerations, cost and more
And while there's no quick fix, the Green Corridor collaboration represents a desire to work together on finding solutions
I wanted to take this opportunity to recognize the leadership of the Port of Seattle staff in their role in stewarding this project
They have done a lot of heavy lifting
I will come up short trying to identify everyone
I do, however, serve on the stakeholder working group and want to acknowledge the hardworking colleagues from the port, Ryan Childs, Melissa Parks, Rosie Courtney and Linda Springman for their hard work
CLIA member cruise lines are actively pursuing net zero emissions by 2015 2050, consistent with the International Maritime Organization's 2023 strategy for GHG reduction
The industry is making significant investments in sustainable technologies, including alternative fuel development, energy sources and shore power
A growing number of alternative fuel capable new builds are entering the fleet which will reduce emissions significantly by using fuels such as methanol and lng
Additionally, many of these new builds are being designed with fuel flexibility in mind to enable a transition to low and zero emission fuels when they become available at scale
Pilot programs continue to test and improve sustainable fuel technologies
We look forward to keeping you updated this year and the upcoming crew season, which is in 59 days
Thank you
Thank you
Our next speaker from the room is Nick Longo
Nick, please go ahead and repeat your name for the record in your agenda item or topic related to the conduct of port business
Please
Good afternoon, Commissioners
My name is Nick Longo
I'm here speaking in support of agenda item 8k
My name is Nick Longo
I am a port employee, an immigrant and a member of the LGBTQ community, and a gay father
I work as a planner in the Aviation Capital Program and Planning Group and I help lead two employee resource groups
One is Voice, the Voice of Immigrants Committed to Equity
That is the employee resource group for immigrants, refugees and Allies
And the other one is the Transgender Inclusivity Group
I'm also a former recipient of the Charles Blood Champion of Diversity Award Today I speak not just for myself, but for many of my colleagues who are deeply concerned about the growing threats to equity and inclusion
Immigrants, refugees, transgender people are among the first to be targeted by the ordinances, recent ordinances, but we know they will not, will not be the last ones
The port has long been a leader of justice, inclusion and equity, and we need the leadership now more than ever
People are scared and our employee resource groups want to be a true source of support
We trust that the party will stay true to its values and the goals of the central agenda, even if these new ordinances are creating chaos and challenges sometimes seem to be in conflict with our values and goals
So if the commission, as I think it is working on anything to support employees, we, the Seattle powered employee resource groups, want to collaborate and want to be part of the conversation
We appreciate your leadership
We are confident that you will continue to be compassionate, bold and proactive in standing with employees and supporting employee resource groups like ours
Thank you
Thank you
Our next speaker, Madam Commission President, is Norman Melendez
Welcome, Norman and Norman, please go ahead and repeat your name for the record and your topic
Thank you
Yeah, I'm privileged to be here
Good afternoon, Commissioners, Executive Director present here, also my colleagues at the Port of Seattle
Good afternoon
I'm Norman Melandres, working for the port
I'm here to represent the Voice ERG and Happy erg, like my colleague mentioned, Nick Longo
We want to have affirmation from the commissioners for the support of our immigrants at the Port of Seattle
We at the Voice ERG represent immigration at the port
And it seems each ERG group at the port is being touched or being led and members of those ergs are immigrants
So most of us right now are kind of scared and wanting support from, from the commissioners and for our executive leaders to support us and our goal to have like a safe and secured environment as we work for the Port of Seattle
And thank you for this opportunity again and have a good day
Thank you, Norman
Our next speaker from the room is Stefan Moritz
Stefan, please go ahead and repeat your name for the record and your agenda item or topic related to the conduct of port business
Please
Good afternoon, members of the Commission Ed Metruck
My name is Stefan Moritz
I'm with with UNITE Here Local Aid, the union of hospitality workers in Washington and Oregon
I'm here to talk about childcare and the agenda item related to that today
First, I do want to say, though, I want to second what the previous speakers have said about the political environment that we live in
And our members, who many of them are immigrants, come from bipoc communities, feel the threat of what is going on on a national level very acutely
And so I think the port as a community, I think it's a great opportunity to support people across those lines, whether it's who they work for, whether it's a contractor or the port, where they come from and what communities they are a part of
So on childcare, I want to thank you all for taking up this issue
Commission President Hasegawa for reaching out and having a conversation with us about this
Our members work from very, very early in the morning to very late at night, get to the airport many different ways and face a lot of challenges in being able to secure the quality, affordable childcare that they need so they can actually serve the airport and the Port of Seattle in the way that they do every day
And so removing those barriers to folks, I think is, you know, important for people, both from an affordability perspective, like all of our members struggle to make ends meet in this, you know, increasingly expensive region of ours
But I think it also poses challenges to the employers that our members work for to be able to staff and have an environment where people can both make a living and also support their families
This issue is really important and I think I really want to commend how you are approaching this from multiple angles and try to make a difference here
We're here to be part of this process and whenever there's any questions or any way we can support, we will be there
So thank you
Thank you, Stefan
I'm loving the mutual support in the room right now
Everybody's so affirming for those online, everybody keeps applauding for all the speakers who come up and it's great
That's it for people who signed up in advance
Do we have anybody else in the room who did not sign up in advance that would like to be clapped for by the whole room? Is there anybody online who'd like to address the Commission that did not sign up in advance? All right, seeing none, then that brings us forward
And Clerk Hart, you can give us a synopsis of any written comments that we received
Just one moment here
Thank you, Madam Commission President, Members of the Commission, Executive Director Metruck
We've received two written comments for the meeting today
These have been previously distributed to the Commission for your information and will become a part of the meeting record
Both pertain to item 11A on the agenda
The first comes from Iris Antman, who speaks to the Green Corridor and complications that come with the use of green methanol, noting that it is toxic and is a safety issue due to its explosive nature
She notes that mega cruises will never be green and it is time to reduce and phase out
Cruising to Alaska as an economic driver
Peggy Prince states that green methanol is not a climate wise solution and the substance is produced from fossil fuels and therefore is not a net zero carbon product
She also notes the toxic flammable nature of the fuel and that methanol fuel tanks are two and a half times larger than oil tanks
She closes her statements by stating that the only viable way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Salish SEA is to curtail cruise traffic
And that concludes the written comments we've received today
Thank you very much
Clerk Hart
So at this point, our next order of business is the Consent Agenda
Items on the Consent Agenda are considered routine and will be adopted by one motion
Items removed from the Consent Agenda will be considered separately immediately after adoption of the remaining Consent Agenda iteMS At this time, I'll entertain a motion to approve the Consent agenda covering items 8A through N
So moved
Second
The motion has been made by Commissioner Cho and seconded by Commissioner Felleman
Commissioners, please say aye or neighboring names called for approval of the Consent Agenda beginning with Commissioner Cho
Aye
Thank you
Commissioner Pellamon
Aye
Thank you
Commissioner Muhammad Aye
Thank you
Commissioner Hasegawa
Aye
Thank you
Four ayes
The zero nays for this item
Thank you very much
The motion carries
And moving on, we have one new business item, Clerk Hart
Please read it into the record and Executive Director Metruck will introduce use it
Thank you
Multitasking this IS agenda item 10 a order number 2025 04
An order directing the Executive Director to conduct a feasibility study for increasing child care access that is accessible, affordable and or flexible for SEA workers and to establish the Child Care Navigator Pilot program for Seattle Tacoma International Airport
Commissioners is one of the busiest airports in the country
SEA operates in a complex regulatory environment with a 247 workforce of over 2200 employees
A stable workforce is essential to maintaining seamless operations
And yet nationwide child care the nationwide child care crisis is having a direct impact on our airport employers and workers
Child care access and affordability remain significant barriers to workforce stability
This issue can affect employee retention, attendance and job productivity across our operations
Today's order addresses some of these issues through the feasibility of developing a child care center and the creation of a technical assistance program
The presenter this afternoon is Eric Schenfeld, the Senior manager in Federal International Government Relations and a big Philadelphia Eagles fan
I was going to sing Fly Eagles, Fly, but I think probably that's not the time or place
Meet me in the lobby afterwards and we'll score a touchdown
One, two, three
So focus
Thanks
Sorry
Yes, commissioners
He distracted me
Blame the Executive Director
Good afternoon, Commissioners and Executive Director Metruck
My name is Eric Schinfeld, Senior Manager of Federal and International Government Relations for the Port of Seattle and here today to present this order on child care opportunity and access for SEA workers
Let me start before I talk about the substance of this
I want to really thank everyone for all of the work that has come before that brought us to here today
Of course, commissioners including Commission President Hasegawa and Commissioner Mohammad, but also Julie Collins, who has led this work up until recently Bukta Khayzar, who is our Director of Office of Equity and Diversity and Inclusion
So many other people who have helped to bring this work to where it is right now, including over the last year developing a study to look at what our options are for increasing access for SEA workers to affordable, accessible and flexible childcare
As Executive Director Metruck said, this is not an issue for us of wouldn't it be nice to have childcare for airport workers? This is not an issue of, oh, you know, what a thoughtful thing to do
We are the owner and operator of one of the biggest and most complex airports in the country, Seattle, Seattle Tacoma International Airport
And we need that airport to be successful in all of the ways we need it to be successful
We need the infrastructure to work, we need the systems to work, the technology to work, and probably most importantly, we need workers to work
We need to have the approximately 22,000 people who come to work every day at our airport to be able to hire those folks and retain those folks
And we know in the 21st century that one of the key drivers of our ability to attract and retain a high quality workforce is accessible childcare
So many people we have heard directly from employers and employees at the airport cannot come work at our airport, which is not proximate to sufficient childcare
Certainly not proximate to sufficient, accessible, affordable, flexible childcare
And so we really have a lack of ability to truly attract and retain the best quality workforce at this airport
And so this order today builds, like I said, on the work that has been done over the past year or two to really figure out how we get to that point
And the way I like to think about this order is it is sort of a short term solution and a longer term solution
That short term solution, as you'll see here in this Order is the development of a child care navigator program that will be a program that offers employees hands on, fully comprehensive in language and culturally appropriate support to identify not only existing openings in child care facilities, but also other resources that can help them afford that
What are the subsidies? What are the tax credits? What are the ways that we can help you actually apply for slots at these existing child care facilities so that we can take advantage of what already exists
And so we're really excited to move forward with that program
This order authorizes us to identify a consultant or consultants to help us offer those services to workers at SEA
We know, though, that no matter how much child care navigator support we offer, that is not going to solve the problem because there simply are not enough open child care slots
There are not enough qualified child care workers to serve the demands of our facility
And so we need to take that longer term approach as well, which is ultimately the development of a child care center, a physical child care center at or near SEA
We have identified that need, we have identified that opportunity
But of course, that is an incredibly, incredibly complicated proposition
And so we are proposing to conduct a feasibility study
In fact, you are directing us to conduct a feasibility study through this order that would really help us figure out how do we get there from here, what are the operational models, what are the potential partnerships, what are the financial modeling that we need to understand about how to make this truly affordable and accessible
And I think one of the most important things that this feasibility study will identify is going back to those employers at SEA, going back to those employees, and truly understanding the demand, truly understanding the need, and how the lack of childcare is affecting our ability to track that workforce
And what are the solutions in specific, at what price point? Where? How does this work? When is it 24, 7? Is it during the regular workdays? All of these questions that are going to make ultimately this child care center fully successful
We need to lay the groundwork now with data, with research, and with that real sort of consumer demand research
So those are the two things that this order is directing staff to do the short term
And when I say short term child care navigator, that navigator program will exist forever
But that is sort of something we can do in the near term to start this process
And then that feasibility study, which we will conduct asap, that will eventually lead, hopefully in the next year or two or three to the start of that physical child care center
Those are the two things that are in this order
The last thing I will say about this order is that of course, we want to make sure that all of this work is extended, accountable and we are building in accountability into this process
Regular reports to the commission on our Progress
The the RFPs themselves will have very specific metrics of what we consider success to be in terms of the Child Care Navigator program, how it measures success, how many people it serves, do those people actually find long term solutions for child care? And then of course, all of the metrics that are in the feasibility study to be able to finalize that report and then figure out next steps from there
So with that, Commissioners, thank you so much for the opportunity to be here today and happy to answer any questions about this order
Thank you very much, Eric, for the presentation without any notes, I might add, and on your ongoing work to get this body of work to where it is today
So Commissioners, before we jump into Q and A and comments, is there a motion on the floor? So moved
I'll second
The motion has been made by Commissioner Mohaven and seconded by Commissioner Cho
And with that I will open the floor for comments and questions from my colleagues
Commissioner Mohammed thank you Commission President Hasegawa
Eric MR Metruck, thank you for your comments that you made today
I want to thank Commission President Hasegawa for bringing this item forward
It's an honor to co sponsor this order with you
But I remember when you you the first day that you joined the port, childcare, child care facilities was one of your top priorities
And so I just appreciate how thoughtful you've been in bringing this forward
If you read the order, what you'll notice is that this order explores multiple options for expanding access to affordable and accessible childcare
You weren't locked into just getting something done, but doing it in the most thoughtful way, bringing forward an order that looked at how to study this before we got to where we are today
And so I just want to recognize that and appreciate your leadership
And you know, one of the things that is in this order is leveraging existing state and local prograMS I want to call out programs that are offered through the Washington State Department of Child Youth and Family Services dcyf
I know that there are so many community members who provide child care services, who participate in those programs and who are looking for opportunities to welcome folks who work on our facilities and would love to have their children part of those prograMS And so Eric, you talked about those short term solutions
That is one of those short term solutions
And I hope that we can expand and see if there's opportunities for us to make the appropriate connections
Both MR Mutrick and Eric both talked about the importance of bringing this forward really is centered around maintaining a strong and well trained workforce has been a top priority for the port
And that includes being able to support our tenants and their employees that operate at our facility
And this is obviously one of the ways to do that
And this issue has been a priority for this commission
We have a track record for supporting childcare initiatives
If you guys Remember, in January 24th of 2023, the Port Commission did pass an amendment to add childcare advocacy to the Port of Seattle's legislative agenda
We supported a number of House bills, House Bill 1199 that passed, that ensured that child care facilities is more accessible and people who are living in condominiums that are designed as single family homes can operate childcare centers out of their homes in that kind of way
And so I just appreciate that this has been a priority of the commission and I'm looking forward to us continuing to find opportunity opportunities to expand childcare accessibility
And yeah, order
Thank you
Thank you, Commissioner Mohammed
Questions or comments, Commissioner Chubb? No, look, I just want to thank my colleagues, Commissioner Hasegawa and Commissioner Mohamed, for their leadership on this
I have long been an advocate in support of this, but I'm really glad we have these two amazing leaders pushing this
I'm sure it helps that you or both mothers who are probably dealing with your own health childcare challenges, but I do think that this is both a retention tool, but also a recruitment tool for us as an organization
And hopefully this will truly move the needle in making our organization one of the best places to work in the state
So thank you, Eric, all the work that you have done, and I'm looking forward to seeing the results of this study
Commissioner Felleman
Well, I'd like to add my voice appreciation to President Hasegawa and Mohammed for taking on what's really a national problem
And for the port, this is going to be the mantra for the next couple of years, that we have to do it locally because we're not looking for the feds to show any leadership
And thank you for Eric's leadership and being able to steward this process through other than taking umbrage of aye
opening comments and that my wife's from Kansas, but other than that, I think it's in good hands and once again, appreciate all your work
We're not in Kansas anymore
Commissioner, I don't regret you for opening this item with just general football talk because I know you're just really, really excited, as am I
This has been a long time coming
I just want to, to acknowledge and thank the staff that have been carrying this
So when I joined the port, my daughter had just turned about 1 years old
And I know firsthand just how complicated it could be to try and make it all work between parenthood and getting to where you need to be on time and dependably
And that's not just an anecdote, that's a national crisis that is being manifested right here at home with very real issues with folks having access to childcare
When we started this, we knew that we needed to have a needs assessment formally in order to be able to understand the scope of the issue for our own workforce and all the different folks who we come into contact with to make our airport and, and our port work
And so that was the first thing that we funded as a commission
This has been a joint effort by everyone with that needs assessment
It demonstrated that folks are struggling, that we as a port are struggling with retention, attendance and productivity
And that namely what folks need is childcare that is affordable, accessible and flexible
We understand that as a result, we are going to have to have a multi pronged approach to answering this crisis
And then what we're doing is we're establishing a business case to be able to do this
So like Eric said in aye
opening statement, this isn't a feel good thing or nice to have
This is an issue that we must address in order to be able to operate efficiently, successfully, functionally as a port
So in its immediate term, what this order is going to do is it's going to create a child care navigator program which offers comprehensive, culturally and linguistically appropriate services to help Port of Seattle workers and airport workers understand the existing resources that already exist locally and by the state and other areas
But as Eric also mentioned, even if everybody had access to everything that existed, it still wouldn't be enough
And that's part of what our former study did, is it said, what's one of the things that we're going to need to do? And lo and behold, it said we need to explore establishing a brick and mortar operation that can create more opportunities for people who work at or near the airport
So the second thing that this order is going to do is it's going to study the feasibility for a brick and mortar child care facility at or near the airport
This is a really big deal
And this, this is probably a really one of the most exciting junctures that this is, that this has come to
To this point, I felt like, you know, as carrying it like my baby
Nope
Well, okay, pun intended
And there has been such a recognition and a respect for this issue and the need to be able to identify solutions that this issue has really gotten legs and it's
And it's walking all on its own
If I think all five of us were to disappear from the commission tomorrow, this work would proceed and go on because it's that important
That said, we have had a lot of folks, not just internally, but externally, that have been thought partners that have helped us understand and study this issue
One of the issues that did come up is that we realized we had an internal port policy that said that if you are engaged in this process, that act precludes you from participating in the rfp
So my question for you, Eric, is for the people who respond to the rfp, what does that do to either preclude them from participating down the line as an actual child care provider or facilitator? Thank you for that question, Commissioner
And so the lesson was very, very difficultly learned in this last process
We were not able to cons to continue with the contractor who did the initial study because of our rules around conflict of interest in procurement
And so that is a lesson that we have talked a lot about over the last few months and really figuring out what we can do to make sure that we don't make some of the same mistakes again
One of those is just going to be transparency to say to folks, hey, if you apply for this RFP to help us do this feasibility study, here are the rules around procurement that we have at the port, and you should know those and be aware of those
I do think that one of the things that gives us a lot of optimism is that we are not the first airport to tackle a physical childcare center
There are about half a dozen airports around the country that are addressing this issue in various forms, and they're all different
You know the old joke about once you've seen one airport, you've seen one airport
We know they have different governance models, different funding streams, et cetera
But we do believe there's a lot to learn from them
And one of the things we've learned from them is that there are organizations that understand how to do childcare feasibility studies that are not necessarily child care providers themselves
And so that is definitely going to be something that we consider in this process is to say, well, we know that there are X number of child care providers who could actually do this work
You know, we want to make sure they know that being part of the feasibility study may create a conflict of interest
Maybe it makes Sense to also be sure that folks apply that are not in themselves childcare providers, but also do this work just in terms of the feasibility study
So looking at all the different options, working very closely with our legal department, with our central procurement office, with all of our stakeholders to understand how we do this
Well, this is, I think, discrete work, understanding the feasibility of a child care center versus operating
And so we'll try and find the path forward that makes sure that we don't preclude long term partnerships that we think could be really great fits for us
Okay, thank you
Thank you
So in considering the scope of this rfp, the study must collect data, more additional data from employers and employees at SEA
It's going to examine operational and financial models for how a fully licensed center could be delivered
So did, am I hearing you say that this is actually only going to look at feasibility? Because I understand that it is going to look at operational models
Yes
I may be using the wrong term here
When I talk about feasibility, I mean all of those things, right? What is every single piece of information that we need to know in order to successfully build and have a child care center operated at or near the airports? And so all of those things, including down to, as we've talked about, Commissioner, what are the physical regulatory requirements of a child care center? How many toilets does it need? How many sinks does it need? What is the out, the access to outdoor space? All of these things that we need to know so that not only can we understand sort of generally the feasibility, but also where could it potentially be at or near the airport? Could it be on the 12th floor of our stock building? Well, actually, no, it can't because there's no outdoor play space on the 12th floor of stock
Right
So these things that answer feasibility in all the definitions of feasibility, maybe there's a better term for it than feasibility
And we'll look at that so that we're clear with whoever is, is responding to the rfp
Thank you
And then that kind of answered my next question, which was does this, the scope of this study also explicitly include siting for potential places? This will inform everything we need to know to figure out where a childcare center could go at or near the airport
I think the question, I don't think this study will say it's definitely going to be at Gate C5
In fact, it definitely will not be a Gate C5
But I do think it will give us everything we need to know to say, okay, here are the four to seven places at or near the airport that could work
And then I think the actual siting has a lot to do with who ultimately is our partner and what they're looking for as well
Right
And I also imagine that there'd be a potential space that, for whatever regulatory or legal reason, it's not the space that could be identified as currently feasible, but might require some level of advocacy to the faa
I'm thinking about port properties being allowed to be used for non airport purposes, and I don't know to the threshold, but if child care
If we've made the legal case for this to be considered as an official airport function
Yeah, I mean, I would say that is front of mind for all of our discussions on this topic
But as I began this presentation, this is an airport operations issue
Yes, this is
We are concerned about our ability to have enough high qualified workers to operate our airports
And you believe that we've met the thresholds that for all of our properties that we identify as potentially feasible for a location, that it would be up to snap
This is our intention and goal, and we will be crossing all of our T's and dotting all of our ayes throughout this entire process to get to that point
Do you foresee a need for future commission advocacy? I
You know, as Commissioner Felloman said, in this world of federal government, I cannot say anything with certainty, so we will absolutely keep that in mind
But our goal is to work within existing regulatory authority, both at the state and federal level, to make this work
And then I lost track of what I was saying because my colleagues were making fun of me for saying crossing ayes and dotting T's, but know what I mean? Not what I say
Okay, well, that's
It's really exciting to see it get to this point
And thank you so much for the thoughtful presentation
I think, like, my ongoing concern is, you know, the challenges that will be there because of FAA regulations and requirements, making sure that we are compliant with all of them
And that the scope of this is not just feasibility
And it turns out it's not feasible
It's about what is the path to get to
Yes
Because we're determined to make this happen
Yes, we should
I almost call it a business plan, except that's not the right term either, but it is
We'll call it a roadmap project
And then timeline
Can you just clarify timeline? Yeah, that is so our goal
We have a draft of the rfp
We'll be running that through all of the final checks and we'll be ready to release that pretty soon
Especially now that you all have authorized that
And that will be under the executive director's delegation of authority at these budget levels that we're looking at
We'll obviously keep you fully in the loop there
So we'll release that RFP immediately
And hopefully this is a process that takes somewhere in the range of about a year or so to complete, with drafts and updates along the way would be my goal
Wonderful
So is there any other questions? Debate seeing none
Clerk Carr, please call the roll for the vote
Thank you
And we will begin with Commissioner Hasegawa
Aye
Thank you
Commissioner Mohammed
Aye
Thank you
Commissioner Cho
Aye
Thank you
Commissioner Felleman
Aye
Thank you
Four ayes, zero nays for this item
The motion carries
Thank you very much
You can clap that
Lots of clapping today
Yes, lots of clapping
We embrace the clapping and we are now at presentations and staff reports
Clerk Hart, please read the next item into the record
Executive Director Medjuk will then introduce the item
Welcome to the dais
Thank you
This IS agenda item 11A
The Pacific Northwest to Alaska Green Corridor Project Briefing Commissioners
The Pacific Northwest to Alaska Green Corridor is a groundbreaking partnership uniting major cruise lines, home ports and ports of call in a shared effort to explore decarbonizing the Alaska cruise market
Since its launch in 2022 and spearheaded by the Port of Seattle, this project has gained momentum
As you will hear, we signed our project charter in 2023 and initiated a feasibility study in 2024 to assess the feasibility of four cruise vessels sailing to Alaska on green methanol by 2032
The feasibility assessment is led by Maersk by the Maersk McKinney Moeller center for Zero Carbon Shipping, one of the world's preeminent and experienced nonprofit independent research and development centers focused on a net zero future for the maritime industry
We're proud to have this level of expertise working on
Our corridor partners are also undertaking additional initiatives on their under their own volition
Through the last two years, we have combined efforts on engagement and policy advocacy, as well as greenhouse gas tracking
You'll hear more in more detail about all of those efforts in the briefing today
We look forward to your insights as we continue leading in a
In a
As we continue to lead the way in sustainable cruising
The Green Corridor has been a major initiative for Stephanie Jones Stebbins from Maritime, Cindy Kilroy from Environment and Sustainability, and myself and dedicated staff and partners
We're really putting a lot of work into this
And as we move into the presentation, I will kick off the presentation and then I will hand it over
To I'm not sure Sarah goes first
Sarah O.J
director of maritime and Environmental Sustainability Linda Springman is also here and Director of Cruise and Maritime Marketing and Ryan Child, Senior Environmental Program Manager and doing a ton of work on the Green Corridor as well
We'll all speak so with that Commissioner, I'll start the presentation
We're excited to provide this update to the Commission on the Corridor
It's a collaborative partnership with ports and the industry
Working together as we know is to decarbonize the cruise, the cruise market and the cruises emanating from both Vancouver and from Seattle
Slide 2 please
To kick off today's briefing, I'll share how the Green Corridor initiative fits into the port's holistic strategy to achieve zero emission to achieve a zero emission port by 2050 in our director of Maritime and Environmental Sustainability Sarah Ojay will in the in also Linda Springman from Maritime will introduce the concept of Green corridors in the Pacific Northwest to Alaska project and Ryan will take us home to discuss the progress in a recently launched study on green methanol as we move forward
Next slide please
So I'm trying to give this from the top side view coming down
I want to begin by putting this project in context of our overall vision to be a zero emission port for both the airport and the seaport by 2050
Across all of our operations, we aim to be a premier gateway for sustainable commerce and travel
This work can position the port as a hub for zero emission maritime and aviation transportation and ensure our infrastructure and operations are future ready and resilient and promote health and prosperity for nearport communities
In addition, we can look at them as potential for economic development opportunities as well
Next slide please
We have three pillars that support our decarbonization strategy
Efficiency
We have to do what we can to reduce overall energy use and conserve energy electrification
And then once you've taken out all the operational efficiencies then you move to electrification electrify where we can to take advantage of our access to low carbon electricity
And after we do both of those strategies, we move to sustainable fuels
We do this where electrification is not an option such as with airplanes and large ships and we need new fuels to achieve our goals
And the port can play a critical role in advocacy and supporting development of these fuel fuels for both of these especially because these are global industries as well as we're trying to approach this problem
So next slide please
The port is a catalyst for change
You've seen this probably this diagram before
We do this through leadership, innovating researching and implementing new ideas and solutions
We do it through partnerships, teaming with industry leaders, community leaders and key stakeholders to act
And through stewardship, advancing domestic and international discourse, policies and investments that can drive change and collective effort is the key to a success
So we're not going to operate at just one level here, as you know, we're going to continue to operate at all of these levels to address these, to address the transition to these sustainable fuels
These range from, from the, the lowest one where we have more direct control over it, or to the higher ones where we're just providing our information on that
So this is, you know, it's, it's one of those things where green corridor is so important because it can create change here in Seattle
And then those, the lessons that we learned through our progress here in our experience with green corridors, we can share through other cruise markets and actually all the maritime industry throughout the world
So now at this point, I'll turn it over to Sarah Roger to introduce the concept of green corridors
Thank you, Executive Metrack
It's a pleasure to be here today with you and to present this information to you commissioners
So what is a green corridor? If we could move to the next slide, please? The green corridor is a specific shipping or cruising route where low and zero GHG emission solutions are demonstrated and supported
And we do that through collaboration across sectors to accelerate maritime decarbonization
And the concept of green corridors came out of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly referred to as COP26, where 24 countries, including the United States and Canada, signed the Clyde Bank Declaration
And this called for the establishment of at least six green corridors by the year 2020
Well, since then, many different green corridor projects have been announced
And on this slide you'll see a map showing 62 different projects that have been announced
This is through the end of last year, 2024
And this includes three green corridors
Out of the Seattle Tacoma Gateway
There's the Pacific Northwest to Alaska Green Corridor project, which you'll hear more about today
And there's also two cargo green corridors between the Northwest SEA Seaport alliance and the Republic of Korea
And so, without a single answer for how we decarbonize large oceangoing vessels, green corridors provide a great means to bring together partners across the supply chain to work together on specific routes and geographic areas
This allows the many key players involved, such as ship owners, ports, fuel producers and others, to synchronize our timelines and work together to identify solutions and reduce the risk of investments and the need that we need to make to transition to zero emission maritime fuels and technology
The Pacific Northwest to Alaska Green Corridor Project was the first Green Corridor initiative in the world to focus on cruise ships and we're very pleased about that
It allows us to work together with the cruise industry to solve this complex challenge and work toward the port's decarbonization goals
And just as we, the port, are working in collaboration with the cruise industry, this project also represents internally a major collaborative effort between the Port's environmental department and our cruise department
And the skills of both groups are essential to our Port of Seattle participation
So reflecting that collaboration, I'd like to now turn this over to Linda Springman, Director of Cruise Operations and Maritime Marketing to introduce the project in more detail and we believe okay, thanks Sarah
Thanks commissioners for this opportunity
Next slide please
As Sarah described, the Pacific Northwest to Alaska Green Corridor Project is a first of its kind Green Corridor focused on cruise we launched the project in early 2022 between a diverse group of First Mover Partners
Our partners include three global cruise companies, Carnival Corporation, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Royal Caribbean Group and their associated brands and their cruise industry
Their industry association, Cruise Lines International Association
It also includes two home ports for ships sailing to Alaska, Seattle and Vancouver Fraser Ports Authority as well as five ports of call along the route in British Columbia and Alaska
Also three non governmental organizations with connections to maritime decarbonization research initiatives in the region and around the world
First Mover Partners joined the initiative under the commitment to explore low and zero emission cruising between Washington, British Columbia and Alaska
Next slide please
So a little bit more about the corridor
This slide shows a bit more detail and the route we're working to demonstrate low and zero emission cruise travel
There are many unique aspects of a Green Corridor focused on crews, including the many different ports involved and differences in size and resources between home ports and ports of call partners, some of which are rural Alaskan communities
We're also looking at a seasonal market which can create an added challenge as fuel production requires year round demand and vessels are deployed to other markets when not sailing out of Seattle
Finally, it's a long journey to Juneau and cruise ships have to consider the energy loads and ship technology required to make a seven day round trip cruise to Alaska on a next generation fuel and also need to account for passenger experience and safety
Each of these variables add to the challenge of this project, but also show the opportunity to identify solutions that could be deployed across the industry
I'll now turn it over to Ryan Child, Senior Environmental Program Manager who will cover what we're doing to find these solutions and our progress to date
Thanks, Linda, and thanks to the members of the commission for the opportunity to present today
So we launched this partnership and if we could move to the next slide, please
So we launched this partnership two and a half years ago and I'm really excited to share our progress with commission today
In our first year after launching, we really focused on convening the partnership and our initial discussion discussions focused on building a strong foundation
So we focused on confirming that we had aligned objectives, that we all understood kind of what our commitments within this partnership, and also confirming our definitions around what a green corridor is and what we're doing together
All that work was formalized into creating a project charter, which we were able to sign in early 2023
And then first movers really came to the table in this partnership originally around a commitment to explore the feasibility of low and zero emission cruising
And so we really reached a big milestone in 2023 when we began working on scoping a feasibility study
And we were able to Engage the Mayor McKinney Moeller center for Zero Carbon Shipping to help us think about that study
And the Marist center is the leading global think tank in advising green quarter projects and maritime decarbonization research around the world
So last fall we reached a major milestone in that we launched the feasibility study, we began technical work
We were able to hire some consultant support to do that, as well as initiate work across different partners in the study
And I'll speak to the scope of that study in more detail in the next few slides
In addition to launching the feasibility study, I also want to highlight some other areas that we have identified for collaboration that are needed to make this effort real
So we stood up several working groups focused on stakeholder engagement, policy advocacy, as well as a working group focused on developing a greenhouse gas emissions baseline
And I'll speak to that work a little bit later on in the presentation
So, next slide
So I wanted to share more about the scope and approach for the green methanol feasibility study that's now underway
The study is led by the Maris McKinney Moeller center for Zero Carbon Shipping, and the MAR center is providing in kind support for the project under their mission to accelerate the decarbonization of the maritime industry
We worked with the center in to scope the study and partners agreed to the project goal of assessing the feasibility of four cruise vessels sailing on green methanol to Alaska by 2032 with the first methanol powered ship in the water by 2030 within the context of the study, we also assume that bunkering will only take place at the home ports
So that's Seattle as Well as Vancouver, B.C
so we're not looking, at least in this initial phase of study, into the feasibility of bunkering along the way or bunkering green methanol up in Alaska, because we are working with the Mayor Center
The Mayor center developed a blueprint for how to conduct feasibility studies on green corridor projects
And their methodology is really focused around understanding the technical feasibility, the regulatory feasibility, and then the financial feasibility of a project
So the feasibility of green methanol and cruise
So that means that a key output of this analysis is to inform a cost gap
And what that means is what is the additional cost of green methanol for crews in the Alaska market compared to conventional fuels? And the Mayer Center's theory of change is around
If you can really identify that cost gap specific to this area and then work to close that cost gap, that is what makes a project feasible
So a lot of the study is really oriented around kind of understanding these corridor specific costs
As I mentioned, we were able to launch into technical work of that study last fall that works
It remains underway
And study partners signed a project commitment letter, which is a letter just formalizing the different organizations that are involved in the study, known as the Project Consortium, and then also formalizing our partnership with the Maris McKinney Mohler Center
We expect to have results of the study later this year and look forward to sharing those
Next slide, please
So before I get into more around the scope of the feasibility study, I wanted to stop and just explain, kind of answer the question of what is methanol? So we're talking about a potentially new zero carbon fuel
So what do we really mean when we say methanol and what does green methanol really mean? So methanol is part of the alcohol family of chemical compounds
It has properties similar to ethanol, which is used in fuels today
And methanol is not used widely today as a marine fuel, but it is used commonly in many different chemical and manufacturing processes
And methanol has advantages over some of the other emerging alternative marine fuels like ammonia or hydrogen
It has less volatile properties
It can be stored as a liquid at ambient temperatures
And it also, because it's used in these different processes already today, it has an existing supply chain, so it can be moved
It's already shipped around the world
It's transported by rail around the world
So that reduces some of the regulatory barriers that we're looking at in terms of Its use as a fuel, methanol, also offers air emission reduction benefits and has carbon reduction potential
And I say carbon reduction potential because if you look at the molecule of methanol, which is dependent depicted on the slide here, it contains carbon
That's the big C in that molecular diagram
And so that means that to produce methanol, you do need a carbon input or what's known as a feedstock
And so to be considered green, green methanol production requires the use of a carbon form from either a waste source or captured carbon from the atmosphere, or captured
Captured from another chemical process
So in that way, the carbon content of the green methanol can be considered net zero, as when the green methanol is burned, if that carbon is from a true waste source or captured carbon, no additional carbon is added to the atmosphere
Next slide
So we worked with the Mayer center to form a project consortium to lead the feasibility study
And the feasibility study really covers all aspects of the value chain when we look at how to produce green methanol, how to transport it, how to store it, bunker it at ports, looking at ship deployment on vessels that can run on methanol, and then also looking at passenger willingness to pay
So we have different organizations that are involved in the study, all leading each of these different work streaMS We've partnered with a green methanol fuel producer, Hytogen usa
They are leading the fuel production analysis, which will be based on their actual fuel production pathways as well as their actual costs
And I'll note that hydrogen's participation in the study is there, sort of informing the analysis, but there's no commercial arrangement with their participation in the study
So no commercial agreement in terms of who would actually provide this fuel in the future
And then our team at Port of Seattle, we're working closely with Vancouver Fraser Port Authority within the ports work stream
And we're looking at the port infrastructure that is required to transport, store and bunker green methanol
As a marine fuel Cruise Lines International association is a really important partner in this work
When we originally were engaging the Marist center in how we could use their methodology to do a feasibility study, the Mayor center doesn't typically work with multiple commercial partners within a green quarter feasibility study
And we had already formed this partnership that includes three cruise lines that are all different competing publicly traded companies
So we had to navigate that and how we could continue to keep these three different cruise businesses engaged in the project, while also kind of protecting their confidential business data and allowing them all to engage in the work
And so that was where CLIA came in in leading the vessel decarbonization work stream as well as the passenger willingness to pay work stream
They are aggregating, working across the three different cruise businesses that are involved in the project to aggregate and anonymize information into the study to allow those the cruise lines to each play a role in the analysis
And then I want to highlight the passenger willingness to pay analysis, which is important in the context of the study because the Marist Center's methodology really centers around how you close that cost gap for that cost premium of green methanol
And so passenger willing, the willingness of passengers to pay more for a greener cruise is one potential driver in closing that cost gap
So it's important to understand that
And then the Mayor Center's role in this consortium is they kind of play a role in terms of overall project manager, ensuring that the work streams are underway following the scope that has been agreed to
And then they will consolidate the results from each of these work streams into a final cost gap analysis
And then at the completion of the study, they will lead discussions about next steps to begin developing a roadmap for implementation
Next slide
So this slide provides kind of a visual overview of that scope of the study
And I think it really helps highlight how what we're looking at on this green methanol feasibility study is the whole supply chain
So we're looking at what's the feasibility of green methanol production? How do we produce enough green methanol to serve four cruise ships in one season by 2032? How do we transport that fuel from the fuel production facility to directly bunker it onto the cruise ship or store it in the port area? Looking at the home ports of what's the feasibility of methanol storage and bunkering? What kind of infrastructure do we need at our home ports to support that? And then on the vessel side, how do you build and deliver a vessel that is capable of running on methanol on a seven day itinerary to Alaska and back only bunkering at the home ports and then even on the port of call side as well
There's some regulatory feasibility questions to understand
Are there any regulatory gaps for having a methanol powered vessel call at your port? And how do we resolve those gaps and questions? Next slide
So the Pacific Northwest to Alaska first movers are also coordinating on other initiatives in support of the green Mackinaw feasibility study and in support of our overall objective of exploring low and zero emission cruising in Alaska
So I wanted to highlight a few of these other initiatives, the First Movers formed working groups on stakeholder Engagement and Policy advocacy
The Stakeholder Engagement Working Group coordinates shared messaging and communications opportunities, and that working group has really had some major accomplishments in convening two webinars to provide annual updates on the project in both 2023 and 2024, and those webinars were attended by over 200 people
We anticipate having at least another communication moment or webinar this year as well
The Policy Advocacy Working Group is one of our more newly formed working groups which formed last year at the request of First Movers and they are developing a strategy to engage policymakers in the US And Canada to advocate for policies that support sustainable maritime fuels and a supportive policy environment
For a Green Corridor Project to happen, then Our work on this greenhouse gas emissions baseline and tracking comes from thinking about how we can measure and communicate our progress
And so last year First Movers agreed to develop a baseline as a starting point to understand the extent of greenhouse gas emissions associated with cruise ships that are involved in the Screen Corridor project
So we worked with CLIA and the cruise lines to aggregate verified fuel consumption and emissions data that's reported to the IMO and compile that information for 2019 and 2023 specific to home port cruise ships that are involved in this effort, from the cruise lines and brands that are involved in this effort
Those that work is underway and the results are under review by the First Mover partners and we'll be discussing a process for regular reporting as well as continuing to track fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions
Next Slide so this is my final slide and I wanted to just highlight some next steps for the year ahead
Our first MBRS met in an in person meeting in Vancouver, B.C
just a few weeks ago in late January and we discussed our work plan for 2025 and confirmed our priorities for this year
And really what rose to the top is priority number one is completing the Green Methanol feasibility study, since that is kind of indicative of what partners kind of came to the table to accomplish and we look forward to sharing those results
We anticipate the study would be complete sometime around third quarter this year, around this summer, and then we would hope to share those results publicly by the end of this year
We do anticipate opportunities for Commission engagement this year, of course ensure sharing the feasibility study results as those are available, but also see an opportunity to engage the Commission in discussions around next steps for how to leverage those results and next steps for roadmap development as well
And then additionally as we look to engage policymakers and other elected officials
We also see an opportunity to work with commissioners on that advocacy approach
And then lastly, I wanted to mention that we are, as was mentioned, we're not the only green quarter project coming out of the Seattle Tacoma Gateway
So we are also continuing to coordinate closely with the Northwest Seaport alliance on their cargo focused green quarter projects with the Republic of Korea
We're working very closely at a staff level, particularly around how we look at kind of overall demand and aggregating demand for zero emission fuels in our region, as well as port readiness for infrastructure that can support those fuels
So we're ensuring that we can leverage the findings from each of our respective feasibility studies and not duplicate any analysis in our efforts
And now I will turn back to Steve to close
Thank you
Thanks, Ryan and Sarah and Linda as well
I'd like to close by reiterating the commitment that we made to this project and the commitment of our first mover partners
You know, it became obvious we had the, we had the symposium or the, the conference up on the Pacific Northwest Cruise Conference put on by clia and as we got together, the commitment remained strong on moving ahead on the green corridor
There was no change with the administration of our partners
Both CLIA and the cruise lines and all of our partners are moving forward on this initiative
So even with the administration change, we still have commitment across all of our partners on this progress moving forward
Matter of fact, they reiterated, as we heard in the beginning, their commitment to that 2050 and accomplishing that globally
And so we're continuing to share how this, you know, we're continuing to work together on this to move this forward
And we look to continuing to share how our progress progresses as we meet the milestones going forward
So with that, commissioners, that completes our presentation and we're open for any questions
Wonderful
Turn to my colleagues to see if any questions
Commissioner Cho
Yeah
Thank you so much for the presentation and your thorough explanation
Reminiscent of high school chemistry
You actually addressed one of the questions I was going to have
Maybe someone on the team anticipated it
And that is the interplay between the cruise corridor and the cargo corridor
I really like that the study is focused on the cost gap and what can be done to close the cost gap
And it's my firm belief that scale helps
And as you mentioned, aggregating demand is one of the things the port, one of the unique things that ports could do
And I go around preaching that all the time whenever I go talk at conferences
And so I know that these are happening in parallel, it's a Roro and you have one that's on railroad vessels, one on cargo and then you have the cruise
But I do think that there is potential for us to stack the demand for methanol from all these types of vessels
And so hopefully and I think the McKinney Morris center actually did the pre visibility study for the Seaporn alliance when we were looking at the green corridor between Korea
And so they are fully aware, they should be fully aware of that aspect of it
And so I'm hoping that even though that this is a cruise corridor focus, when they talk about cost gaps, feasibility, cost and production capacity, they'll take into account what's happening in the other realMS One question I had which is not directly related but tangential to this conversation is obviously one of the ways you get e methanol is hydrogen with CO2
And given our status as one of the I think it's eight hydrogen hubs
But also given the status of this administration, have you seen or has a seat
Has the team seen any changes in funding levels, commitment from the federal government or how quickly PNH2 is moving as a result of kind of the uncertainty that we're seeing in the federal government? And maybe that's a Sandy question, I don't know
But I'm not sure if Sarah, if Sarah wants to comment on it
But go ahead, Sarah
And I'll add to that
Yeah, at this point I'm not aware of any specific, you know, major impacts
I think many people are monitoring a lot of changes that are happening clearly to funding, staffing commitments
But I know that there's also kind of an enduring interest in energy regardless of politics
So that gives us some hope
And I would say is I'm looking around to see if Eric Schinfeld is because that continues to be something we're going to
We're monitoring
You know, a lot of those grants came out of the IRA and especially for the hydrogen hubs and but I think in the hydrogen hubs themselves, they're distributed between red and blue states throughout the nation
So I think there's projects going on
So I think that's one of the factors going into that
But we'll continue
We don't know of any drawback or clawback of funds or anything right now
Will the feasibility study include, you know, sites? What does it go down to the level of like site selection or
I don't know
There's hypothetical locations that you would transport the fuel from, but it doesn't evaluate like siting for Them Brian, want to add on? Yeah
And for looking at storage, it will tell us kind of how many acres you would need, kind of what are some basic specs around what you would need for those sites
But we're not going to level of detail of like prioritizing different sites for where that storage could take place
We're kind of looking in terms because we're also looking at the transportation piece
So we need to make some assumptions about like where we're transporting to and from
And so we're looking at some existing areas for, for existing operations
Like the fuel currently comes out of Ferndale, Washington and gets bunkered down to Terminal 91 and Pier 66
We also there's existing fuel storage on harbor island, for instance
So kind of making assumptions around future sites would kind of need to be areas that are zoned for and perhaps probably existing kind of industrial like fuel storage areas
Great, thank you
Go for it
Hold on to mine
Commissioner Felleman
Well, thank you
It's great to see the updates and appreciate all the work you're doing
I just, I got a couple of questions
One was, well, it's nice to think about the aggregation of demand
It just seems that Dyke and saf, there's more demand than there's production
And so we have the catch 22 of
I was really quite amazed
In addition to, you know, our corridors, we had that, that page which showed all the green corridors, even though they were in different colors, they're still all green corridors
Right
Whether they were port initiated or whatever
But that's a lot of fuel if everybody's caradizing
And so that's just one obvious challenge that we're all going to face
And I know with the SAF situation, it's like an airline just has to commit to having a large offtake agreement and the refineries will respond
And so there's a bit of a kit chicken and egg problem
So somebody's going to have to commit to it
And so hopefully the
This very defined corridor that we're dealing with in Cruise will allow for a commitment to be made
And it's, you know, one of the things I did notice though, you know, it's a, it's a bit of a different route if you leave out of Vancouver than if you leave out of Seattle
You know, much more open water and probably a shorter, it's a shorter distance if you start in Vancouver, I would imagine so
I don't know if you measuring the fuel consumption, it would probably be different depending on which port you leave out
Of but that's really one of my biggest interests has always been the baseline
Like how do you measure success? And based on what I mean the relative change is important, but how are we going to compare fuel consumption to or greenhouse gas emissions compared to other modalities? And so what you said here, which was, you know, seems like one of the most straightforward is just fuel consumption
So is that the
Because I know there's also to controversy at the IMO about the way cruise wants to talk about energy intensity use compared to other shipping lines and you know, to take all that off the table and just talk about fuel burn, that seems to be the cleanest way to measure fuel, you know, greenhouse gas emissions
So is that the intention the cruise lines actually have to report to the IMO their fuel consumption? That's what I read
There are reportings to the imo
Yes
And then we're doing a unique baseline for this cruise corridor that aggregates up all the vessels that are in the Green Corridor partnership going from Seattle or Vancouver to Alaska
And there's lots of different metrics, but really it is about fuel consumption and the type of fuel and the emissions
And Ryan can provide more detail about that if you like, around what's measured
Yeah, I would assume you're going to have two separate fuel burns based on the port of
Obviously you aggregate, you anonymize the data, but it seems like a bank
There would be a Vancouver number and a Seattle number for the effort that we're doing right now
And this involved a lot of discussion with CLIA and the cruise lines to kind of get them on board to share this level of information is that it's aggregated across the whole project
So we're not seeing like the total fuel consumption associated with ships out of Seattle and then separately total fuel consumption associated with ships out of Vancouver
So it's aggregated for both Seattle and Vancouver
I guess that makes sense not to cause one as, but one could measure the length of trip and assume otherwise
You know, you can take miles and multiply it by gallons, but be that as it may, it shouldn't be that big a difference
I guess the only other
So when do you expect to see a baseline? When is that going to come out? So we've done the data collection and we have the results
They were discussed at our in person meeting a few weeks ago
And so now we're just kind of coming up with how to communicate those results
And I think right now, because what we have is essentially a number in terms of fuel and greenhouse gas emissions for 2019 and then 2023
And so those two numbers don't make up very much of kind of announcement on their own
So it makes sense to kind of share those along with some additional information about the project and kind of about what we're doing on this study
So we're working to put that together together and working with partners on a commitment for how to share that
So I'm just trying to get clear
So you have 19 and 23
And so are you going to release that as a ballpark, as a, as a baseline? Yes, our intention is to, is to share that
It's just, it's still being reviewed by our partners, so we just haven't released it publicly yet
And it's based on fuel burn
Yes
All right, last thing
So I was on the SEA change, the first hydrogen ferry that went to San Francisco built at American shipyard up here
American Marine
Yeah
In Bellingham
They asking them what was their greatest challenge
Coast Guard certification
They had no, no tools to work with
So there was like starting from scratch
And so obviously they learned something from this process
But a cruise ship is a little bit bigger than a fast ferry
So where do you see in all these things for that development to be able to keep up with you? Yeah, I mean that's definitely part of the study and part of kind of the regulatory feasibility piece
And I think that's going to be a big part of kind of the vessel decarbonization pathway work that CLIA is working on and the cruise lines are working on for us
We did have a conversation with the Coast Guard, so we're trying to understand where there is existing regulatory gaps
We did hear from them that there's some interim guidance around or interim guidelines for methanol vessel design
And they didn't really highlight any major gaps, but would note that it's going to take a process and some engagement with them on kind of making this happen
We also have already had a methanol powered vessel enter the gateway with the let
Maersk came last fall to Tacoma
And that really highlighted that this is happening and it can happen
And when staff heard about that, we were sort of like, oh, it's already happened
We need to find out how and what sort of hoops do they need to jump through
Because that's exactly what we're trying to study in the study is like, what are the issues there? So that was also really promising as well to see that, you know, this is being worked out already
And that's one of like six that Amazon called for, I think, to make that happen
So that's great
Thank you so much for the update
Commissioner Mohammed, do you have any questions? No questions, but I did want to make just some general comments and thank the staff for this work that you all are doing
I remember when we went to Vancouver to make the announcement of the first mover and that initial commitment was being made
It was like these high level ideas
Everybody was really excited and just to see how it's all unfolding is amazing
And you know, I, I think for the listening public this work is really difficult
Right
This idea that we're going to decarbonize everything overnight, there's not a switch
If we had that switch, we would switch it and make it happen right away
It really takes intentional work, collaboration, commitment from both our external partners to work with us to accomplish these really big goals that we have
And combating the realities of climate change really does take accountability, innovation and honesty
And we're leaning into those challenges as a port
And I want to thank our partners for consistently coming to the table, meeting us where we're at with these big ideas that we bring forward
And again, just want to thank the staff that is leading this work
Thank you so much
Thank you
How safe is methanol? Does it go boom? Well, of course my scientists would want to ask by what Metruck and test do you want to answer that? And so with, I think with all fuels we're dealing, we have to manage that risk
Yeah
So go ahead
Yeah, I'll be glad
It's flammable like any other fuel
It is, it is flammable
I think it has some unique characteristics since I used to be a first responder, as unique characteristics
When it burns, it can burn
It's different
It's hard to see the flames, you know, if you, if you do in a respond to it
So there's some aspects about that
But that's why, you know, like any fuel, you have to have first responders and involved as you bring it in
The regulations that you were talking about, that Commissioner Felleman was talking about, we've talked, you know, in addition, we've
The Coast Guard is coming in to talk to us more about this
They're both on the regulatory side and the other side of it as well
So they're continuing to look at that
But you know, like any, if you were bringing a new fuel in, you'd want to talk to the Coast Guard, but you'd also want to talk to our first responders in Seattle
Seattle fire
And I think They've been in Seattle of the conversations that have occurred about that
Right
So I heard you say that this would need to go into a place that's appropriately zoned
But are, are our industrial lands currently zoned for fuel storage or is that an area for potential future collaboration with the city in a conversation with them for future discussion? I'm not prepared to evaluate our zoning on this topic
Yeah, I mean there is fuel storage that is not presenting on that today
Apologies
But we could look into that more
I think that would be part of that analysis that comes out on its suitability
If you're going to have to have storage tanks with the suitability, what's the zoning and all that would come out of that
It'd be akin to the bunkering we see already in the harbor
Those, those lands Commissioner Cho asked questions about the scope of the feasibility study
But does it include an assessment of infrastructure needs or potential updates or investments for our properties for a
To support an operation with a methanol based vessel? Yes
So it's looking at what infrastructure we would need to store methanol
So it's kind of, it's looking at first of all like how much methanol is needed for these four ships and then how much you would need to store at a time, how much you would need to bunker
So how many bunker vessels would you need
And then also yes, any additional improvements that would need to be made to our docks in terms of like to meet some of the safety requirements around having a vessel be bunkered at our facilities
So it'll look into those issues
And then for this assessment are we taking into consideration other ports that have done this successfully and are already supporting methanol vessels
We have been in kind of our overall program around looking at how we can support sustainable maritime fuels, looking to other ports as good examples and then also within the study as well kind of trying to take those lessons in terms of particularly where there's already within like the International association of Ports and Harbors has different bunkering guidelines for methanol
So kind of looking to international guidelines as they exist in that vein
I just want to chime in and mention about two weeks ago we were in Tampa with our colleagues at the AAPA Power Summit and had the opportunity to meet with clusters of other member other ports who are working on green corridors and convened
We did the same thing last year and so that partnership and kind of lessons learned and sharing about the challenges and
And it's just been really helpful and we plan to continue that and We've been talking to APA about how we might maintain that type of a venue for that sharing of lessons and ambitions
And then my last question is, I'm glad to hear that you're getting lessons learned from other areas
We talk about how cruise is sort of trailblazing for other sectors in maritime and Commissioner Cho will soon be going to Busan for the signing of an MOU exploring a green cargo corridor
How are some of these lessons learned being shared outwards with other areas of the industry in the future? Well, I think there's the
Ryan spoke about the stakeholder and communication team
So we've been promoting our work through their different venues
Ryan, are there specific things in the upcoming work plan that would be relevant to this? Yeah, I think, I mean, we're trying to share our progress in a lot of different menus from going to different conferences, engaging with other ports, other ring corridor projects
I think also just looking at like the other, the two other ring quarter corridor is happening in our region
On those feasibility studies that are underway, they've really focused more on kind of fuel production and bunkering on the Republic of Korea side of the corridor
And so I think there's an opportunity, particularly with the cruise focus green corridor because those vessels do need to bunker here
So it's really an opportunity to kind of, as you, as you mentioned, like the cruise industry being kind of a first mover in this and so just kind of sharing lessons in our study kind of across these other projects for how we look at like bunkering infrastructure, storage infrastructure for cargo as well
So I think even within our gateway there's kind of the opportunity to share what we're learning in our study because they're going to move into that next phase of their project and looking more around kind of the port infrastructure and Seattle and Tacoma for cargo as well in the next few months
Well, it's an exciting next step in the, you know, living the philosophy and the plan to be able to transform port operations into a clean energy future
It's really exciting
So thank you so much for your leadership
This is where the river meets the road
So thank you very much for the presentation
Thank you
Okay, we are going to
Oh yes
Executive Director, Director Mitchik, President Hasegawa, since we have the environmental team here, I wonder if I can ask a favor
I know we have a member of the team that's retiring and Kathy Baynek is retiring
I just learned today that she's retiring after 20
Come on up so we can embarrass you
I Thought I'd just take a couple minutes because Kathy's been to recognize Kathy
She'll be retiring after more than 25 years here at the port
And she's a senior manager of a remediation and contracting team with the Maritime Department of Environment and Sustainability
And under technical leadership, she successfully advanced some of her most complex cleanup projects on the properties and environments, including the Lower Duwamish Waterway, east waterway, and the T191 remediation
She's done this with incredible grace and dedication during that time period
And so some of these
I don't know, Kathy, maybe you could tell us how long some of these you've been working on some of these and they come to
But a lot of these have come to fruition
And I know that she's seen as an anchor in a very complicated world of bringing things together
And she's dedicated not only to her team and the port, but to the race values as well
And her contributions will live here at the port for a long time
So I thought it would just be, since this is her last commission meeting, to bring her up in front of her colleagues and thank her
So thank you
Thank you
Thanks
You want to talk a little bit, say a few words? Kath? So I was going to say what Steve said
So three of the projects that I've worked on, one started in 2001, Lower Duwamish harbor island, which East Waterway is part of, started in 1985
I was not working on it at the time, and T91 we've been working on since 1999
So all of those sites have gotten to some part of cleanup, but not total cleanup
So seeing the progress they've made, though it took a long time to get there, has been very gratifying
And just being a port employee, a public employee, has been, you know, a blessing for me because we get to do work that helps the environment and we're not always penny pinching like you have to do in consulting and some of that
So I've really appreciated the work that I've done so well
We appreciate the work that you've done
You know, somebody who's relatively new to the port, you know, you show up here and you just see the tremendous amount of work that's happened, and it's going to be
It takes multiple generations, I think, to see through some of these huge product projects and from where you started to where it is
I hope you also take tremendous pride in being a key player and help
Helping make this world and our communities better
And healthier and safer
And our world is better for you in it
And the next step, I think you can call it as one that's for yourself
And so I hope that you'll find immense gratification in retirement as you did as a member of the port
And congratulations
You've graduated to a new status, but you'll always be one of ours
Thanks
Do any of my colleagues have any comments? Congratulations in getting out before the East Waterway gets over
It's a daunting task and, you know, Superfund is one of those things that you hope your great grandkids get involved with, you know
So I really appreciate your tenacity and hanging in there with it
It is a lot of planning
Hopefully we'll get some of that mud out of here pretty quick
And lower Duwamish is happening
I'm really excited by that
And thank you for all your work to make that possible
Thanks
Commissioner Felleman stole the words right out of my mouth
You're getting out just in time at the right time, it seems like
I'm just kidding
No, really appreciate your, you know, 25 years of service to the Port of Seattle
You know, there's a lot of history there and a lot of knowledge
And so I've learned being here for the last few years that not everyone actually leaves the port
They usually take a break and come back in some capacities
So we hope to keep seeing you around
I know there's a lot of history and knowledge that you have that we can continue to leverage as we move forward with some of these projects
So I certainly hope that you're open to lending your expertise and your knowledge to us as we go forward
But I definitely wish you the best in retirement, and I look forward to seeing all the great things you'll do in your next chapter
Thank
Thank you
I also echo those same sentiments and wanted to start off by saying thank you so much for your service
25 years is a long time and that commitment to public service means a lot
Thank you for what you've done to protect our waterways and our environment
That impact will be lasting not just today, but it will contribute to future generations to come
And so I hope that you feel very proud of that work
And yes, thank you again for your service
Thanks
And hope you enjoy your time away from this place for a little bit
I'll miss aye.
Thank you so much
Let's give her a round of applause
Congratulations
Thank you
Executive Director Menschwerk
Thank you, President
So we are going to go to our last presentation of the day clerk Harp, please read it into the record
And note for the record that Commissioner Cho has exited the meeting and Executive Director Metruck will introduce the item
Thank you
This is Agenda Item 11B, the 2025 Local, Regional and community engagement policy priorities briefing
Commissioners, under your leadership, the board has ambitious policy and government government relations goals and priorities during a time of substantial change and uncertainty at the federal level
Our local and regional partnerships are especially critical for maintaining momentum on our shared vision
Today's presentation on our draft priorities provides a roadmap for a successful future
The presenters are Dave Kaplan, Local government Relations Manager
Severino Boyu, Regional government Relations manager, Roxanne Murphy, Senior Manager, Tribal Relations, and Nate Kaminos, Director of Government Relations
So all from external relations
So I'm going to begin with you, Dave
Commissioners, as Executive Metruck already introduced us, basically, but just so you know, the approach that we took this year was to basically, the memo contains all of the priorities that you as a commission have adopted or are looking to adopt
In terms of the changes that we've made, the updates that we've made, our presentation today is really to speak some of the more highly visible priorities for the day
Next slide, please
Unlike our state and federal legislative efforts, our local government relations work is about leveraging the relationships we have have with local jurisdictions to move our policy priorities forward and to identify opportunities to help the local government's priorities that align with our own
Move those forward as well after today's commission meeting, and we'll continue our work to incorporate any additional feedback you provide us and seek adoption at the February 21st 5th meeting
With that, kick it over to Sabrina
Right
Hi
Good afternoon, Commissioners
Sabrina Bulu, Regional Government Affairs Manager
For the record, and I want to say we are so proud to be your local government relations team
You know me, I cover Seattle and north King County
Dave Kaplan covers East King County
Samantha St
John, who can't be here today, covers east side King County, South King County
Sorry
And we have Roxanne Murphy here with tribal relations
We've got a really stalwart team
We do great work
Local politics is our first line of defense, and we are on the front lines of delivering the port's mission to all that we work with on the local front
So I'll quickly run through just a couple of key achievements that we looked at in 2024, and then I'll move it to the next slide about what's coming up in 2025
So one thing I want to know is the Seattle Transportation Levy
Seattle's voted Seattle voters approved the 1.55 billion dollar transportation levy, an eight year levy to fund transportation projects
And you all as a commission endorsed that levy because of your good work and the, the, the leadership that you had led us with
We staffed work diligently with our key partners like the SODO BIA and the Seattle Freight Advisory Board and the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber to advocate for nearly double the amount of funding for the freight specific investment in the levy
This is unprecedented and huge and I want technology took a lot of bandwidth and hard work and so now there's over $50 million in that pot
That's never happened before
And we as staff get to work diligently with the Seattle Department of Transportation to make sure those funds are executed in a way that is efficient and thoughtful and that works for our transportation system
Took a ton of effort and we're grateful for the leadership at Seattle City Council with council member Saka as the Chair of transportation and Bob Kettle that really heard what we had to say when we lobbied them and understood it
And so we have eight years of good work in front of us in partnership with this the city
And we're, we're excited to move forward
And I want to thank you all for formally endorsing that levy
Next, as we all know, I just want to take a quick victory lap on the Pier 66 shore power that was a $44 million investment in partnership with our, with the state and federal government matching funds to connect Short bar from Terminal 466 to Pier 66 to post on the map as one of the only ports globally to have shore pair connectivity for all of our cruise vessels
At that ribbon cutting, we had Commissioner Felleman as our marquee speaker along with Executive Director Metruck, but also notably Seattle City Light CEO Don Lindell and Seattle Deputy Mayor Greg Wong and Bob Kettle and our key cruise partners and labor partners because of this good work, largely led by Director Stephanie, John Stevens and everyone we just heard from, Sarah, O.J
and Ryan
The list goes on
Sandy, we're three years ahead of our 2030 greenhouse gas reduction goals and we are a model for other cities across, across the nation
And then lastly, just Looking back on 2024, there were a number of MOUs that were executed that impact Seattle's waterfront and that really solidified the Port of Seattle as having a huge presence here on the waterfront as we always have
But I want, I want to quickly tick through these because it was a significant amount of staff time and it just speaks to the fact that we are a key partner on revitalizing Seattle quickly
The Pine Street Connector mou, that was done in a really quick manner
And it was us working with the city of Seattle to develop a partnership to help the city build the Overlook Walk and not impede on and have their construction not impede on cruise operations
That was really quick work
The other that you all approved just a few months ago is the $5 million investment for the Friends of the Waterfront MAU and that's for the Port of Seattle to play a role in activating the waterfront
And that provides continuity from here, here at Pier 69, all along the waterfront down to Coleman Dock to say that we are all part of the same waterfront
And when a Seattleite or a visitor comes to the area, they know that the Port of Seattle is just at the top, right by Centennial Park
The next is that was championed by Commissioner Felleman is the $5 million investment in the Seattle Aquarium as they work to rebuild their infrastructure
And that's to incorporate maritime teachings into their academic programming
And then lastly, this one hasn't come to fruition yet, but hopefully very soon is the Alaskan way Protected Bike Lane mou
We are so close and I want to give kudos to my colleague
Jerry Poor has been leading us through this for years
At this point, we are just very close
I know we all see the construction right in front of our building
And this MOU is to create a solidified partnership between us and the city of Seattle
So when that bike lane is executed, we have a key partnership to make sure that it's safe not only for bicyclists, but for tourists, for cruise goers, visitors, but also our workers right here at Pier 69
So that's a quick 2024 review and then we can head to the next slide and look at 2025
Great
You all are very familiar for the most part with my portfolio
And it's all industrial lands all the time
And much of my work is guided by the 2016 principle that the, the previous commission codified, which is there, there is no net, there should be no net loss of industrial lands for the port moving forward in perpetuity
So those are the guiding principles I think about that drives my work
And so I know you are all intimately familiar with some of the
The challenges we have ahead
But at present, in the near term, we are working very hard to defend against a a new amendment to reopen the historic 2023 maritime industrial land Use Policy that was passed by the city council and signed by the mayor
There is a proposal to reopen that policy and and introduce an amendment to build housing in the Duwamishmik across the street from our active working terminal there at Terminal 46
This is absorbing a lot of my portfolio and many of you are very engaged in this
We expect regardless of the outcome of that legislation to be passed the first week of March
So that is a major near term project I'm working on
But beyond that, as we look further, the Seattle City Council is facing the 2025 comprehensive plan that is set to pass in spring
The Seattle Comprehensive Plan does not intend to make any adjustments to the 2023 Maritime Industrial Land use policy
The comprehensive plan focuses on all neighborhoods outside of the industrial area
However, nothing, just because of that, nothing precludes amendments by developers to be introduced to make adjustments to the mix, especially Duwamishmic
So this is something that will be a major piece of my portfolio as we head into the next few months and we start to see the comprehensive plan shape up
And then I'm just going to quickly touch on the fact that we have the WSCA development coming up adjacent to Terminal 46
We are deeply involved as a key partner there
We're working closely with the Washington State Department of Transportation to ensure whatever future use is occurs
There is something that's compatible with a working waterfront
There's also the CEM property adjacent to Terminal 5 that we're really hopeful we can utilize for some kind of electric drage truck fleet
There's a lot of work to be done
It's a multi year process but it's something that's really exciting
And then this is in no means by order of priority but of course the teal New Deal championed by our commission President Hasegawa
This is the foundational kind of leading principles as we think about how we approach industrial lands and how we really build out our portfolios for the next few years as we think about how we bring clean green energy to the future of Soto
And then lastly of course we're taught we are closely monitoring the sound Transmit Transit West Seattle Ballard Link extension alignment to make sure there are no challenging disruptions to our lines of business
And then you just heard from our wonderful Green Corridor crews team
That was a ton of information I just sped through but that's what's going on in Seattle and King County right now
And now newest member for of our government relations team, Roxanne
Welcome Roxanne
aye.Shka
Thank you
So some highlights from 2024 include the fact that we now have two memorandums of agreement with the Suquamish Indian Tribe and the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe
And that's an ongoing gift
We're also working on expanding economic development opportunities for the tribes
It's been an amazing opportunity for me to help with the fishing season, as crazy as it is and as much of a roller coaster as that was
And I look forward to keep doing that
Also
We hope soon that we will have Suquamish contractors apply for some of our upcoming construction bids
And that's been an important partnership that we're working on developing and commission
I'd really like to thank you for your support of the proclamations that we've had regarding tribal relations to honor the Bolt decision and also Indigenous Peoples Day
Next slide please
So for 2025 we'll definitely continue with workforce development partnerships with the tribe
And I cannot wait to help with the long range waterfront planning and getting tribal interests met with that
And then also another highlight is expanding our tribal youth engagement
And I'd just like to close by thanking the commission for supporting tribal relations and everyone from the Port of Seattle who supports such haiska
Thank you
All right, thank you Roxanne and good afternoon Commissioners and Executive Director Metruck
My name is Nate Kinos, the Government Relations Director for the Port of Seattle and happily filling in Today for Samantha St
John, our East King County Community and Government Relations Manager
Shortly after I came on board in 2019, the port executive and Commission leadership invested in the development of an FTE to primarily work with Eastside government and community partners as a countywide special purpose government
And that summer the city of Kirkland hosted a remote remote Port Commission meeting at their city hall as we help bring our regional partners on the east side to share the many contributions the Port makes on the connections to the growth and development of the region
And then Dave and I actually sat here five years months later and presented the 2020 Local Regional Priorities to commission where Kerry Pravitz was first week with us in that newly formed role
And over the past five years with Kerry and recently with Samantha, we successfully saturated and informing various and countless east side partners of all of what the Port does and its many services
And we've done this by elevating our intergovernmental engagement with the 20 plus cities in the region as in various businesses, industry and communities that make up the fastest growing part of our county and state
And I'll briefly walk you through here on these next two slides of some of the key highlights from the past year
But as we then turn our attention and focus for the Art of the possible in 2025 and beyond
There's a lot of exciting potential opportunities for us to do more as we hope to even be more prominently plant that flag on the east side
As I say on the first slide here
A big thanks to Commissioner Felleman for bearing the nearly 100 degree heat to deliver remarks at our in Essoqua for a Port Unplugged event
Last summer a ton of community community chambers small business owners came out to Pickering Barn, including representatives from every east side city for the second year in a row, which is a back to back yearly accomplishment
Building off the 2023 port unplugged out in Woodville with Commissioner Cho speaking of plugs, a bit of a plug to Puget Sound Business Journal is organizing a brief travel and tourism program at Maiden Bower center this Thursday
Arf Grouse and Stephanie Jones Stebbins are featured Featured speakers along with our partners in Alaska Airlines Visit Bellevue
Many others and Visit Seattle will also be in panel, but we also have a lot of our east side industry partners in attendance
We I recently learned actually on the Bellevue Downtown Association Study Tour to New York that for the first time there are more tourists who were staying in hotels, dining at local restaurants and shopping at local businesses in Bellevue on the east side more than any other people who were visiting the region for work and business
And we're told that they're noticing that increase due to the growth and connections from tourism from our cruise seasons here on the waterfront has brought to that region and the work on ecotourism that Commissioner Felleman has also helped spearhead for us and partners around in and around Snoqualmie Valley
Commissioner Hasegawa, you've also raised regional transportation as an area of focus for us on the east side
And there's a good couple of areas I've aye
on briefly today
And of course our regional transportation guru Jerry Poor is with us here today as well
One item I'll flag on that is visit Bellevue's recent launch of the privately run shuttle service between downtown Bellevue hotels to the airport and back just a couple months ago, recognizing that's been a key area of interest to the Commission and some of our east side partners over a number of years
Last year as well, the Corps supported two federal raise grants for King County and Woodinville on the East Trail and they got both of them
King county was awarded $25 million and Woodinville $5 million on the former 42 mile BNSF rail corridor as I referenced at July 2019 remote commission meeting in Kirkland City Hall Commissioners Calkins, Felleman, Executive Director Metruck and others took part in a tour with the City of the the Cross Kirkland Corridors development at the time
But did you know that the Port purchased the rail corridor from BNSF and sold off segments to King County and individual cities, but that the Port absorbed more than $22 million as part of that larger transaction? To make the purchase possible for our public partners to infuse economic development and active transportation opportunities for the residents, workforce and commuters throughout the 42 mile trail beyond the Crosswick and Corridor, what King County Parks, the cities of Redmond, Renton, Bellevue and the future development Woodendale will be able to do is transformational
Additionally, PSC has been able to build out their electrical grid for the Future with their 10 year energized east side project and Sound Transit's Line 2 station connections that opened last year now connect to various parts of that trail
Both of that are expected easements, not to mention the arts, music and cultural opportunities have since launched as a trail directly connected next to parks
Businesses small and large like Google's Kirkland campus and what we saw in 2019 and the BIPOC artists who've been able to leave their mark on organized performances commissioned murals all along that corridor
All in large part of the significant investment the Port made by playing an integral role in facilitating the purchase and sale of the corridor 15 years ago
We will continue to tout the Port's contributions as we document, acknowledge and recognize the pivotal role we played historically, but as several developmental projects continue to be underway throughout the backbone of the east side
Also as we envision that SEA to SEA trail, the work of the East Trail and Renton 2 will also connect to the Lake Desante Trail and open the possibility of connecting the future segment of that trail to SEA in the coming years and thus fully connecting our airport and seaports to the east side
The last bullet point here
Here is something we work on jointly with the nwsa, but the continued work on ensuring freight mobility remains a top mind as the Valley continues to grow in population and future transportation infrastructure is considered and planned as our surrounding communities near the I90 corridor
The pressures of new development King County Council Member Perry has been a big steward in bringing all the key public and private partners together for those planning purposes for the last few years and we regularly had a seat on the table for that next slide
Commissioner Wichtro was here earlier and that was due to the served for us on the Bellevue Chamber and we've also had staff representation on Bellevue's Policy Council
We actually be presenting the Policy Council tomorrow on all the great work that we're doing at SEA
We've also worked with Leadership Organized Eastside and other organizations on their annual class project relating to the work at the airport as well, building off an airport tour that we were able to host for them this past fall
Commissioner Calkins spoke last week about growing opportunities with four year universities, and while we already do quite a bit with two year community and technical colleges and four universities through our various departments, there certainly are opportunities to strengthen these further on the east side
A few years ago UW partnered with Bellevue College on expanding their curriculum and programs and we've recently heard from them that there's an interest to partner and grow more together together as well
Commissioner Muhammad when we met with the Mayor and City Council at the City of Woodinville last summer, in addition to the work the city is doing on the East Trail, City leadership were intrigued by our Maritime Innovation center and expressed interest in working with us to potentially launch an incubator on the east side too
What would that look like exactly? To help complement the existing prospective industry growth anticipated for the region that could perhaps be in conjunction with our work with UW Collins
Lastly, in closing, there's a lot that I can continue on about that's going on in the east side
All exciting opportunities for us to do more, and I feel we're well positioned and well resourced with staff talent to further explore as we think about the evolution of our growing presence and what the 2.0 version of that will look like
With that, I will now hand it back to Dave to sneak speak on our work on the South King County
Dave In South King County we were successful in advancing a number of items on behalf of the Port, but we only have time to speak to a few of them today
Needless to say, the first of those with the release of the FAA Sustain Airport Master Plans Draft NEPA Environmental Assessment, we are able to finally provide an opportunity, a comprehensive opportunity for the public and local jurisdictions to engage engage on the Master plan as we committed to we provided a 30 day advance notice prior to release of the NEPA document and beginning of the public comment period, held four community informational events, provided City Council briefings support an extension of public comment beyond the 30 days set under the NEPA rules and provided presentations about the Highline Forum and its start and with specific outreach to various communities in South King County
Regarding North SEATAC park, we advanced our discussions with the City of Sea-Tac through the JAC as we worked toward permanent protection of the park
The successful effort on the Port's Federal Government relations team to secure provision in the FAA reauthorization bill early last year has helped provide flexibility in moving the issue forward in support of our Economic Development Department
The the Des Moines Creek Business park west project in Des Moines should begin construction sometime this year and this is the last undeveloped buyout property the Port owns in the City of Des Moines
In Burien, we've been working with the city on redevelopment of the Northeast redevelopment area near A1 property
That's the last of three properties in the Northwest Northeast Redevelopment Area which could accommodate Port facilities and a possible City maintenance facilities facility
This is the last undeveloped buyout property that the Port owns in Burien
Next slide please for SAMP in 2025, we'll be continuing our equitable community engagement when gearing up for the draft CEPA Environmental Impact Statement released sometime this year
Having completed the improvements at T117, the next project, Port Wetland Mitigation Bank Project, is anticipated to be on our property in Auburn and will help facilitate the local engagement as part of that process
Consistent with the specific timeline and items to be accomplished in Commission Order 2024-12, we'll continue to advance discussions with the City of SEATAC regarding North SEATAC park and working toward permanent protection of the Park
And just as a reminder, the information to be collected relative to submitting a letter to the FAA regarding the lack of needing it for aeronautical purposes is by the end of the first quarter of this year
Options for the Commission to consider to be provided to you by the end of the second quarter of this year with a recommendation from the Executive Director to the Commission and a decision to be made by the end of the third quarter this year
We'll continue to identify potential partnerships with local jurisdictions support their non motorized active transportation projects providing for complete safe routes to connect to SEA Airport
We began that conversation last year with the City of SEATAC as an example, we will advocate and explore opportunities for partnership to expand options for childcare services for workers at SEA as discussed at the Highline Forum this year
It was a topic that the members had selected that they wanted to hear about and we discussed
Both SEA-Tac and Burien are using grant funding to help grow the number of child care providers in their respective jurisdictions, which may provide some opportunities for us relative to the order that you passed today and completion of the market study that will support any next steps that Burien, SEATAC or Tukwila pursue regarding development of a South King County International Public Market
Last night, the Burien City Council authorized the city manager and city staff to apply for a federal grant for infrastructure to cover Fifth Avenue south between 152nd and 151st for potential outside location
Covered outside location for an international market that happened just last night
A number of organizations in other jurisdictions, such as Renton and Federal Way, are also looking to develop public markets
Last slide, please
I know that was a lot to consume from all of us, all in one sitting
And obviously you've had the memo
We've had an opportunity to sit down with each of you during the course of the last several months, last several weeks
So if you were open to any comments, suggestions, or answer any questions you might have
Really? That's it? Okay, Commissioner Mohamed? Sure
No comments
I want to just thank you all for your hard work that you put in the memos that you provide, and just your ability to cover the entire region and to do that in a way that is engaging and thoughtful
And I always love when I am able to accompany you guys or provide a presentation somewhere, whether it's on the east side, Snow Valley, South King County, wherever it may be
I can tell how deep the relationships you guys have with those individual stakeholders are
And it serves the port well
It allows us to be able to advance our economic development priorities
And
And Nate, I heard that we can take some credit for the tourism boom in Bellevue
So kudos to all of us on that, maybe
And Dave Kaplan, I really appreciate the work that you do in South King County
Engaging with our airport communities just does a collective, incredible, important work
The work with the tribal communities, it means a lot
And we can also already see the return on investments, us being able to engage those particular communities and advancing our workforce development goals
And so just lots of thank yous
Thank you
Thanks, Commissioner Felleman
I think that general point about when we go into a meeting and all of a sudden it's like, port's a known quantity and it's a well known
It's known well as a quantity
It really is that entree that we're not breaking ice
And that's greatly appreciated
It's certainly on all fronts
I think that's really a fantastic thing with regards to the east side rail though the corridor
And that was John Creighton's baby
And he really initiated that leadership on that
And
And I remember when we took the walk, it was clear to me that there was no sign that this had anything to do with the port
There was no signage whatsoever
And we talked about that and there was going to be some little like interpretive facility built
And I said like where's the port plaque here? And I didn't realize that we, we went into this like for 20 million bucks
Yeah, right
And so and the fact is we don't have a lot of demonstrative examples of investments in the east side
And this is a massive one
And the, and the cities have done a fantastic job of as you pointed out, cultivating this, this non motorized corridor to, to the benefit of some really large businesses
And it's a great amenity for the community
And I just think that it was a leadership of the commission that initiated that and the folks on the east side shouldn't forget it
Absolutely
Full disclosure, I'm on the East Row Partners board action chair of the East Row Partners for the next two years
You know, when I was at Puget Sound Energy, also full disclosure, I was on the regional advisory council and support staff and I remember working with Mayor Marchione or Redmond at the time and we toured New York City with the Seattle Chamber
We're like, wow, looking at the high line
What an incredible
Why is Toyota a corporate sponsor? What's the nexus for corporate partners Together now we have T Mobile, we have Amazon, we have rei
I mean all these other Google
I mean all these investments that are made in like wow, how do we get here? But we're still in its infancy
And when we did walk that across Corcoran corridor in 2019, I remember that conversation
And we worked with the city about how are we transforming businesses who were having their backs towards the trail to now face the trail as an entity, as a draw for a lot of the folks
And how do we go beyond just Google campuses to restaurants, retail and whatnot
And so we are working at least on the east rural partner side due to my infiltration of the organization on documenting the history
We work actually with Dan Thomas and the team too to really get the finite numbers to clear what's there on each of the public pages, but also start working on signage and helping better tell that story
The various channels about all of these things are possible
Christy True came up to me at every groundbreaking like this wouldn't have been possible without the port
But we got to do a better part of telling that story given the history and the folks that were still here
Excellent
Thank you
And do we have a commission for the Ilang forum this year? Has somebody stuck up? We're figuring that out
Okay
Then I had of all those south end entities
That's a Real COD with place to be
I just said I paid my news
All right, thank you
Okay, so my question is, when did that BNSF purchase take place? I'll look at Pete Ramos too
And Jerry
Poor Pete was with the King county at the time
But Jerry, you helped us
It was a while ago
Yeah, 2009, 2010
That's really interesting lore
Thank you for bringing back that institutional memory
You know, that's
It's all in the context of something bigger
So thinking about the work that you all do in your respective regions, there's like a, an immediate core of influence, but it's all regional connected
Dave, I think about the work that you're working on, how there is a growing geographic interest in that
And we've talked about doing listening sessions
You've done listening sessions in the airport adjacent cities
How is the team thinking about doing that on flight path communities and Federal Way and Beacon Hill? This work is going to get bigger as the process unfolds
That's an excellent question
There's obviously development of what the next round of engagement is going to look like relative to the CEPA Environmental Impact Statement when it comes out toward the end of the year
And we have existing roundtable now with South Seattle and Beacon Hill community
And there's obviously opportunities to be able to present to them and to get glean input when we get to the formal process that we're legally obligated to do
Relative to the solicitation of comments
I know there's been other discussions relative to Vashon island and others
The port did reach out
In fact, I think we presented there in 2023, tried to bring the FAA along with us
They tend to be a little reticent to do that
But what that did result in, the FAA wound up holding an online town hall to talk about aviation related issues and overflights that they would not have done, I don't think, if we hadn't encouraged them to start beginning to engage with the communities more directly
Also, I think the FAA reauthorization bill, some of the provisions in there, put more of an emphasis on the FAA connecting more directly and not necessarily entirely through roundtables to be able to engage with people who have interest or concerns regarding aviation issues
And then Sabrina, I think the same thing applies for the industrial lands conversation
It's with the Seattle core epicenter, but with really expansive regional implications
And my question is for, I think for the whole team
Right, because understanding that all of these issues require public education, they require coalition building, oftentimes it requires having physical presence and not just in the different areas of King County, which is expansive, but also in Olympia during during session
What resources do you foresee yourself needing in order to carry the pieces of work that you're respectively leading as it grows into its next phase? That's a great question
It's something we continue to think about
We, I mean primarily in front of us we're thinking about how do we expand this messaging in our conversation with PSRC and the great Greater Seattle partners in Seattle Metropolitan Chamber
But beyond that, how do we think outside of the region? I don't know if I directly have an answer on what we need, but as we especially with the teal New Deal work and the symposium we're looking at, maybe there could be some kind of entree and how we take the findings from that and present it to our friends in Olympia or something along that line of thinking
I'm not really sure, but I'm think it's think about it
I'd like to invite Nate and I also want to hear from Roxanne in your respective roles
Go ahead, Nate
Yeah, just to add on to that, you know, I think one of the key roles at least my experience here before I came to the port is that we're an incredible convener
Right
Even at, you know, the work that we're doing also especially with your leadership, Commissioner Hasegawa, in regards to the development of the South Seattle Roundtable for folks who don't know is a way that we stepped up to make time, talent, resources to engage and bring all of our multi government partners, from local to inter to federal together in a room and have a convening forum to be able to engage with residents, community leaders all throughout the South Seattle region about things that are going on without the airport maritime side, all of our operations, but we don't do everything
There's also many other various organizations and government partners who have jurisdiction and oversight over their projects of interest too that might overlap or connect it
And so us playing a connected role in that when we're talking about engagement beyond about what we're here doing on our local level as it also applies to back to D.C
and Olympia even, you know, I'm saying all these things that we're even just doing this week tomorrow is our start Olympia Lobby day where we're working and bringing our other partners with Varnier Airport cities to go down to Olympia to talk about our joint legislative agenda in the same way that we were successful in going out a year and a half ago to D.C
with our D.C
start fly in and where we're able to get four of our seven collective asks enacted in the FAA reauthorization bill, including the North SEA Tech Park
So there's many ways in which we are continuing to step up to bring our partners together, both in Olympia, in D.C
and here at home
But I'll let Roxanne speak more about the tribal relations resources question
Thank you
Coming up, Roxanne, in your work with the tribes, especially understanding that we've got the MOUs underway, what resources do you need as this moves into the next phase? Well, just to say it most simply ongoing support from our whole organization, from the top of the leadership all the way down to the staff level really is of great assistance
I think we're at a point in time where generally speaking, the tribes are really happy with the Port of Seattle
I keep on hearing elders and tribal leaders say that they appreciate this work that we're going to continue to do
And I think the next phase is going to get to some potential like policy changes, things that we could do where I could get commission support because maybe we can get some laws changed so we can get apprenticeships and tribal partnerships to increase their rate of apprenticeships in priority for tribal preference
That's one example
But we always want to keep looking for opportunities for ways that commissioners can be involved in the work with tribal relations, showing your values, but then also the partnerships and the eagerness of the tribes
So I'll be continuing to think about these things as we go forward, especially as we're going to be actively working to develop work plans that we will bring back for you all to take a look at, especially for the committee of the commission that works on tribal relations
So I can answer any other questions, if you have any
Thank you
That's it
Did you have something? The only other thing I was going to add is that one of the great things that Nate has brought as our government relations director has been the cross pollination between what each of us do in terms of our sharing, our sharing information about the things that we're involved in
We're all kind of early warning systems in terms of picking up on opportunities or things that may be coming our direction, where to be able to make connections, to be able to help bring resources, you know, at a focal point when we were when or where we need it from existing resources
I'll give more thought about any other resources that we might need
But
And which is a great question that you posed and I wouldn't hazard a definitive answer right now
But the fact that we communicate so well and we partner so well among whether it's state, federal, local, international, tribal
Well, I just want to commend our external relations team broadly
You guys are doing a phenomenal job and it is hard work and it's meaningful work because it's in the process
I think we're
You really strike gold
So thank you for your hard work
And Commissioner Felleman has additional comments
So despite our good work, we are getting correspondence from constituents regarding concerns that the SAMP is an EA and not an eis, amongst other things
And we have this confusing thing about the state, the SEPA process, that is an eis
I had wished early on that it was a combined effort
And I'm not asking for a legal decision
Don't get too nervous here
But I guess the food for thought, I mean, knowing that an EIS is coming down the road while we're getting these comments on the EA in terms of communicating with the public, how these things are sequentially jiving and where these opportunities for public comment are going to be, it's, it's confusing for the normal person, the fact that some of what they're asking for may be coming up subsequently
You don't have to answer the solution here, but I think it's incumbent on us to be able to communicate with the public how these things are related or not
But we have our environmental expert director to help me with this perhaps
Well, which is why you'll note that I said it's the FAA's NEPA environmental assessment and they'll make whatever determination they make relative whether or not an environmental impact statement is required in the
Yeah, I would just add Sandy Kilroy, the senior Director, Environment and Sustainability
So I hear your question and earlier Commissioner Hasegawa's interest in a very thorough public outreach process for the sepa
And I would just reiterate that once the FAA has finished their comment review and response to comment, they will release their decision with the response to comments that would address, of course, all the comments received
And then we will then move into that SEPA process and we will be fully communicating as best we can through a robust and holistic engagement process what the SEPA is, how NEPA and SIPA relate and how we'll be moving forward
So I think you'll see, at least, if not more public engagement with the SEPA process that you saw with the nepa, and we'll continue to keep commissioners in the loop on that
So SEPA won't start until the NEPA is done
The schedule at the moment is to complete NEPA and then start sepa
The schedule right now is for that to occur
You know, NEPA Q2, Q3, draft SEPA, Q3, Q4
Of course, as with other conversations today, what's happening at the federal level may impact that
And we're watching and looking for any changes and we'll let you know
Okay, thank you
And I'd also like to make a request that for the extent that we've been conveners and demonstrated ourselves to do that successfully, that we renew that effort in 2025 at Bashon Island
I've heard from our counterpart in council Member Mosquera at the King County Council that she'd like for us to be able to go back and do primarily a listening session and maybe sort of like a 101 on SAM, similar to what we were doing in South Korea County
So just want to formalize that request
Thank you all
Any further comments, questions? Thank you for the presentation, you all
Thank you everybody
That actually brings us to the end of our agenda
Does anybody have any closing comments or referrals to committee? Yes, Commissioner Felleman
So I mean, I heard a lot from staff that they want to, you know, there's nothing the feds can do that's going to change our affirmation for support of OEDIs
So like, if anybody's concerned about that, let's just put that to bed
I think you what you see here in this commission is stronger than it's ever been before
And so rest assured, we're not caving
Right? So let's just get that one out of the way
However, I've been wondering why on earth was Seattle or Bainbridge island the first place for Japanese Americans to be deported, so to speak
And to me, that's one of the questions
I was wondering is it because we were some backwater place where the media may not have caught attention to it, or was it this racial tension like Portland used to be a Nazi headquarters? Why is it? Why here? Stay tuned for the next episode of to me that's disturbing to me that it would begin here and I'm just wondering whether there has been any and we have a national monument now in Bridge Island
Right
And I will also add that because of the Trump administration and their challenge of DEI that they put a freeze on all their DEI related websites that posted challenge to their priorities
And including among them was that Bainbridge island national site website
It has since been re engaged
But to your point, Densho, who helped read that into the record
They are an archive, and they have worked deliberately to be able to understand how and why that happens
But I think part of the point of the Day of Remembrance is understanding that it's all intentional
It's not on accident
And so I am going to look into that, and I will come back with an answer for that at our next meeting, because that's a really good question
Absolutely
And Commissioner Mohamed, do you have any closing comments? Sure
I just also want to respond very quickly to our Port of Seattle employee resource groups
We heard you loud and clear today
I said during the state of the port that here at the Port of Seattle, we are built on our diversity, diversity of industry, workforce, and thought
And we will continue to build on that to thank those who do the important work here at the Port of Seattle and continue to defend them
And we will stand for our values and continue to do that, regardless of what administration may be in office
And I also want to take this opportunity to thank our firefighters, the first responders, those who keep our facilities, workers and travelers safe at the Port of Seattle
Again, I want to thank all of our staff that presented here today, the staff that keep our operations running, and our business partners
Our port stands strong, and our commission will continue defending the values that make us who we are here at the Port of Seattle
And like I've said before, diversity is not a weakness
It is an advantage for us
It is the foundation of innovation, resilience, and global leadership
And yeah
And here at the Port of Seattle, we are not here to rewrite history
We are here, here to honor it
And it is Black History Month
And so, to everybody who is celebrating, I hope you enjoy black history and that you reflect on our history
And Black history is US History as well
And so with that, I just again, want to thank everyone who makes this port work
Thank you
And I just wanted to add that I've been invited to attend a listening session with our Latino Employee Resource Group
And that for any of the ergs that are organizing those sort of either physical or virtual spaces for us to be able to be there as commissioners, as you find it valuable and meaningful to you, please do reach out to the commission office and let us know
And we heard you loud and clear in public comment
For that which we're talking about internally, about steps that we can take to meaningfully protect and uplift our communities, we do consider you as thought partners in
In that
And I'm particularly grateful to you for writing in ahead of this meeting, asking us to reaffirm our dedication to DEI programs, our office and our policies, they stand firm
I stand in solidarity with my colleagues and all of you at the port in commitment to that
And I'm particularly proud of the proclamation that we passed today that did reaffirm those commitments formally as well
Executive Director Metruck, do you have any closing remarks for us today? No, I don't, Madam President
Thank you very much
And with that, folks, the time is 3:24, and we are adjourned.

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