California Inland Port Project Could Benefit Food Processing Industry

Five years ago, Merced County begin exploring developing the former Castle Air Force Base into an industrial park, with an eye toward creating a warehousing center for the transport of goods, primarily Valley Ag products produced in the area.  

The AFB offered multi-modal options – freeway access, air, and rail – for Valley industries goods storage and movement.  The effort eventually morphed into a plan for an inland port that would provide rail services to southern California ports and maybe Oakland.

Since then, the vision for an inland port has expanded into a statewide effort aimed at creating a multi-modal network that will help to reduce greenhouse gases, contribute to improved air quality in the valley and at the ports, reduce road congestion, increase traffic safety, and increase investment and jobs in the state according to the project backers.

Now called the California Inland Port Project, this $15.7 billion transportation, logistics, and economic development project envisions an integrated public-private platform that will create a port-to-market system that will be anchored by a statewide clean energy cargo transportation platform. This integrated logistics system is expected to support improved cargo movement in the valley through new strategic mobility hubs, while employing sustainable technologies, logistics systems, and creating infrastructure investment partnerships. 

Currently, the project is strongly supported by the California Council of Governments (CCOG) with Fresno taking the lead for the Valley sector. The Project has gained the support of both federal and state agencies.  The USDOT has designated the Inland Port Project as a Regional Infrastructure Accelerator (RIA) because the project is expected to increase the resiliency of our national logistics and supply chain systems. California has designated the Project as an emerging project by the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) and the USDOT. 

Depending on the final form, the project promises some benefits for the food processing industry:

- Improved transport system that promises to significantly reduce port congestion, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the number of truck trips to and from the San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento region, and Bay Area.
- Creating a more robust and efficient intra-state distribution system with a specific focus on supporting California’s agriculture and food processing sectors. 
- Advancing new supply chain efficiencies and reduce shipping costs for shippers that manage global supply chains through direct intermodal rail service to/from California’s seaports. 

CLFP had been engaged with the effort since the beginning and has recently been invited to sit on the executive advisory committee, giving CLFP direct involvement with the design of the project. 

Written by CLFP Government Affairs Director John Larrrea