2024 Year in Review: Port of Bellingham

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The Port of Bellingham’s mission is to promote sustainable economic development, optimize transportation gateways and manage publicly owned land to benefit Whatcom County.

The port had many economic wins in 2024 including a $17.9 million federal grant to reconnect the BNSF railroad to the Bellingham Shipping Terminal, one of our community’s biggest family-wage job creating assets. This rail connection will be a game changer for the regional economy, but will take a few years to complete. In the meantime, the port remains busy making much-needed improvements to the shipping terminal including removing historic contamination from the waterway, strengthening the dock, installing a state-of-the-art stormwater system and adding electricity for next generation vessels and clean air.

In Blaine Harbor, the port is working with the city of Blaine to clean up historic contamination, improve public access to the water and support the working waterfront. There are four state-listed clean-up sites in Blaine Harbor requiring millions of dollars and years to complete construction. The port is working closely with the Department of Ecology to move these sites through the state’s cleanup process and is committed to protecting the long-term environmental and economic health of Blaine Harbor.

A few months ago, the port hired Tyler Schroeder to lead its countywide economic development team. Schroeder is the former deputy executive for Whatcom County with many years of experience working on strategic economic development initiatives. We are excited to have Schroeder working at the port and the economic future is bright for Whatcom County.

The port manages all major transportation gateways into Whatcom County. We were disappointed when Southwest Airlines left Bellingham International Airport because they couldn’t get enough planes from Boeing. The airline industry remains challenged by a shortage of pilots and planes, but the port is working hard to add new flights and new routes including a new airline incentive package to support recruitment efforts. In January, Alaska Airlines will add a fourth daily flight from Bellingham to Seattle.

Many great things happened at the port in 2024 including the adoption of a climate action strategy and a new, 250-panel solar installation at the airport. The most effective way to keep up with all that’s going on is to join the growing list of followers on the port’s social media channels including Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Happy Holidays!

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