Transportation is fundamental

by Dale Bohren
Tuesday, October 9, 2007 12:54 PM MDT

Diversify, diversify, diversify.

It’s something of a mantra that we hear every boom. And at every bust we hear, “We were too busy during the boom to diversify.” Having been busy myself, it’s easy to understand.

But this boom has been different in the way it has unfolded because of an apparent sustainability of mineral activity and because some of the profits from mineral production are being reinvested in Wyoming.

Several smart things are happening right now that will help keep our current economy healthy.

The medical industry continually is expanding and upgrading the services available in Casper. That attracts patients and keeps cash flow local.

The educational opportunities are ever increasing with UW/CC, Casper College and their partners and the growth of the McMurry Training Center. In many cases, those who have been educated get jobs locally.

National and local retail, food and restaurant chains are developing the square footage and product choices available in Casper. And tourists have more reasons than ever to visit.

In the energy industries, Rocky Mountain Power is planning electrical transmission lines to carry Wyoming coal- and wind-generated electricity out of state.

Oil companies like Sinclair, Devon, Anadarko and Kinder Morgan are constructing pipelines to carry oil and gases to market, and water for production use into producing fields.

And the land around Natrona County shows major evidence of this work. These projects are essential to transport products to market and to keep the companies and State and County coffers flush.

A current lack of pipeline capacity is detrimental to Wyoming producers, the county where they produce and the state.

Producers receive only a fraction of the wholesale price of oil and gas commodities because they can’t get their product in a pipeline. The big winner is actually the owner of the pipeline.

These are not small items on the road to diversification. They are the building blocks of our economy, and the economy is strong.

But one project on the drawing board near the Natrona County International Airport Free Trade Zone, the Bishop Industrial Rail Park, has some potential. It offers a whole new avenue of diversification because it addresses one of our biggest challenges: transportation.

A rail switching yard in an industrial park is not very glamorous. But basic transportation into and out of Natrona County is one of the biggest obstacles to local growth in almost any type of industry.

And a railroad boxcar can carry 144 tons, more than five times a semi-truck’s weight capacity. It is likely that the industrial park would open with the pipe and parts crucial to the mineral extraction industry.

Yet a new rail link could be an important first step toward creating a capacity for manufacturing or distribution opportunities that do not exist here today.

To be sure, there would be lots of railroad activity. But transportation is the key in a global economy and is essential to the diversification of a somewhat isolated economy like ours.

With expanding medical, educational, retail and tourist opportunities, coupled with improved transportation, who knows, maybe the next time the economy slows down, we won’t notice quite as much.

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