[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 7175]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                THE PORT OF PORTLAND'S NEW HEADQUARTERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I am proud of Portland, Oregon's--my 
hometown--leadership as America's Sustainability Capital. And thanks to 
the Port of Portland, we just acquired another symbol of that 
sustainability.
  The Port of Portland is one of five major consolidated port 
authorities in the United States and one of the greatest economic 
engines of our region. It operates an international airport, a major 
seaport, general aviation airports, and several thousand acres of 
industrial property. And for the first time, its entire administrative 
workforce will be housed in one location, a beautiful new structure 
that's not only iconic but is also cost-effective, environmentally 
friendly, and expecting to be certified LEED Gold.
  Virtually every employee has access to natural light, sits in open 
visible cubicles, including the executive director, and is surrounded 
by the kind of sustainable development features that Oregon is known 
for. All of the building's wastewater is treated using a ``Living 
Machine,'' a sort of indoor wetlands, and the water is reused in 
restrooms and the cooling tower. There are 200 pipes sunk 340 feet into 
the ground to use the Earth's temperature to dramatically lower the 
energy costs required to heat and cool the building. By locating 450 
administrative employees in one place, it eliminates 15,000 hours of 
interoffice commuting every year, which saves the port millions of 
dollars in operating expenses and improves efficiency at the same time 
and, I would dare say, the satisfaction of its many employees.
  Good news that no taxpayer dollars were used in construction of this 
marvelous new facility. The port's customers, airlines, shipping 
companies, and others, will not experience any increase in their costs. 
Indeed, they will share in cost reductions.
  My commendations to the Port of Portland Commission and its employees 
for a job very well done.

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