Everett rail-barge pier receives state environmental permit

Everett rail-barge pier receives state environmental permit    The Washington state government’s Ecology Department has approved a water-quality permit needed by the Port of Everett to build a pier to transfer oversized containers to aerospace industries at Paine Field.
   The permit outlines conditions the port must meet to protect water quality as it builds and operates the new pier.
   The pier, east of the Everett-Mukilteo city line — will serve as a satellite operation to the port’s existing deepwater terminals in Port Gardner Bay. Large containers bound for Paine Field will be loaded onto barges, moved to the new pier and then placed on short trains that will haul the cargo up Japanese Gulch. This will replace the current process that close the main rail line for extended periods.
   The port must still acquire a federal permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in addition to other Washington state permits.