Requires the Oregon Business Development Department to study the legislative establishment of an inland port for the purposes of coordinating infrastructure development, improving trade mobility and promoting economic development.
Senate Bill 1591 directs the Oregon Business Development Department (OBDD) to study whether the Legislature should establish a new inland port in one or more of the counties of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook, to be called the Port of Central Oregon. The stated purposes of the proposed port are to coordinate infrastructure development, improve trade mobility, and promote economic development in Central Oregon.
The required study is broad and includes recommendations on governance, geographic boundaries, the possible creation of a foreign trade zone, budgeting and financing tools such as bonding and taxation authority, and any additional powers that may be needed beyond those generally available to ports under Oregon law. It also asks OBDD to examine ways to improve resource and infrastructure efficiency, support multimodal freight systems, coordinate with federally recognized tribes, and consider ownership or operational structures for specific facilities and sites such as CORE3, the Bend Municipal Airport, Juniper Ridge, and other current or future locations within the proposed port area. OBDD must report its findings, and any legislative recommendations, to interim economic development committees by September 15, 2027.
The bill does not itself create the Port of Central Oregon or change existing port law immediately; instead, it initiates a state study that could lead to future legislation. Its practical effect is to place OBDD in the role of evaluating legal, financial, geographic, and operational issues associated with a new inland port and to produce recommendations that may influence later amendments to Oregon’s port statutes, economic development policy, infrastructure planning, and local governance arrangements in Central Oregon. The measure sunsets on January 2, 2028, and takes effect 91 days after adjournment sine die.
Based on the bill text and available context, the measure appears generally supportive of regional economic development and infrastructure coordination, with no recorded votes or committee transcript showing opposition or debate. The sponsorship from legislators across multiple districts suggests an interest in advancing the concept of a Central Oregon inland port as a planning and development tool. Because the bill was left in committee upon adjournment, it appears to have remained a study measure rather than advancing through the full legislative process.
The main areas of potential contention are not expressed in recorded discussion, but the bill itself identifies issues that are likely to draw scrutiny: whether a new inland port is needed, what its boundaries should be, whether it should have foreign trade zone status, and whether it should receive bonding or taxation authority. Additional likely points of debate include the scope of powers beyond those available to existing ports, the role of tribal coordination, and the possible transfer or shared control of major assets such as CORE3, Bend Municipal Airport, and Juniper Ridge. These questions would affect local governments, taxpayers, port authorities, businesses, and tribal governments.