Oregon Public Broadcasting

Newport, Oregon still plans to break ground next month on a facility that will host NOAA's Pacific research fleet. 

That's despite a recent ruling that the federal agency failed to fully explore alternatives to Newport's site. 

Here's the problem:  It's in a floodplain.  But Newport wonders whether that's a problem at all. Reporter Chris Lehman went to see for himself.

Newport is a bustling port town on the central Oregon coast.  But this section of the port is quiet.

General manager Don Mann looks out over a handful of crumbling buildings and chunks of concrete. But he sees the new Pacific fleet headquarters for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Port of Newport general manager Don Man stands on the potential future site of the NOAA Pacific fleet headquarters.

Don Mann:  "It's hard to visualize now, but in about a year and a half, there will be a completely new, restructured brand-new facility.  And we'll be standing here in the visitor parking lot for the facility.  And on that side, where you see those wooden totes in that direction."

The centerpiece of the new NOAA facility, however, will be a quarter-mile long pier that will host six ocean-going research vessels. But even as construction is set to begin, the fate of this project is still up in the air.

Here's why. Soon after the agency announced its choice in August, one of Newport's competitors appealed. 

The Port of Bellingham, Washington, protested that Newport's bid was ineligible since the proposed pier would be in a floodplain. A 30-year old executive order requires further study of alternatives in such cases. 

This month, the Government Accountability Office upheld that protest.  The ruling doesn't overturn NOAA's decision to move its fleet to Newport, but it does create uncertainty. 

You wouldn't know that, talking to Newport's Don Mann.

Don Mann:  "We're absolutely determined to keep moving forward. Do we have that thought that in the back of our head that something could happen?  Of course we do, but we're confident enough and I think that if NOAA thought that there was no answer to some of the questions they would have said something to us by now."

NOAA's not saying much at the moment.  A spokesman said it would be premature to comment. 

An artist's rendering of how the NOAA facility in Newport would look.

The agency has until early February to respond to the GAO report.  As for the risk of building in a floodplain, Don Mann dismisses Bellingham's argument.

Don Mann:  "Every pier, when you start building, if you're on a waterfront or a seafront, you're going to be in a floodplain."

Mann says the pier will be elevated above flood levels. But the GAO report says that's irrelevant since the base of the pier will still be in the floodplain. 

The Port of Bellingham says its proposal, while costing NOAA more, would have avoided the floodplain issue.  That port's director, Fred Seeger, wants NOAA to reconsider:

Fred Seeger: "The Port of Bellingham certainly believes it's a practicable alternative."

Seeger says the ruling puts NOAA in the position of having to explain its decision.

Fred Seeger: "How NOAA is going to do that, at this moment we don't know. We're looking forward to their response."

While Newport and Bellingham await further word from NOAA, elected officials from both states are taking sides. 

With nearly 200 jobs and millions of dollars in lease fees at stake, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski recently sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco.  He urged them to move forward with locating the fleet in Newport. 

Kulongoski spokesman Rem Nivens says the governor plans to visit the two officials in Washington D.C. next month.

Rem Nivens:  "This is a very important project to Newport, it's a very important project to the state of Oregon.  And he believes it's best to take action and do everything possible at this point to ensure that this facility will be sited in Newport."

Let's end this discussion about NOAA's possible move to Newport with a really bad pun. 

You know how every good story has an arc to it?  No one knows yet how this story will end.  So you might say the NOAA arc is incomplete. 

In the Old Testament, Noah got the last laugh when his ark turned out to be just the thing to ride out the flood.

Newport and Bellingham are waiting to see who gets the last laugh this time.

Online:

GAO report

Port of Newport website