Anacortes/Bellingham, Washington · $100B proposed
Puget Sound Super-Terminal
A zero-emission automated terminal in the northern Puget Sound, positioned as the primary North Pacific gateway for transpacific trade, with eco-quay designs to protect marine life.
Pros
- Puget Sound has genuinely deep natural water — dredging needs are minimal compared to every East and Gulf Coast proposal here.
- The NW Seaport Alliance (Seattle/Tacoma) already moves ~3.7M TEU; the trade lane to Asia is the busiest in the US.
- Zero-emission port equipment is already being deployed at real terminals — this is an extension of existing trends, not science fiction.
Cons
- Environmental litigation is not hypothetical here: Southern Resident orcas (~73 remaining) and salmon runs make Puget Sound the most litigated marine environment in America. Expect a decade of lawsuits minimum.
- Washington's permitting culture is famously slow — major industrial projects routinely take 10+ years to clear review.
- Anacortes/Bellingham are far from the Seattle/Tacoma logistics cluster; the "greenfield north" concept strands the port from its workforce and intermodal base.
Feasibility: Moderate. The harbor physics are excellent and the trade lane is real — this is the rare proposal where nature cooperates. But Washington's environmental and permitting gauntlet is the true bottleneck, and no statute can "48-hour" away the Endangered Species Act. Build it at Tacoma instead and the odds improve dramatically.
Aerial mock-up: Eco-quay structures mounted on concrete pylons over the deep natural channel, with wildlife corridors visible beneath the terminal deck.
