Innovative Supply Chains
About Innovative Supply Chains
The Innovative Supply Chains initiative advances resilient supply chains and logistics hubs by integrating innovative technologies, data-driven solutions, public-private investments and smart infrastructure to enhance the region’s trade competitiveness. The PNWER RIA works with urban and rural communities, Northwest Tribes, state legislators and other industry leaders to accelerate projects that create local jobs and contribute to a more reliable and adaptable regional logistics network.
Building off of previous supply chain work
In its first iteration, the PNWER RIA focus included exploring the decarbonization of drayage vehicles operated within the Northwest Seaport Alliance (the ports of Seattle and Tacoma). Through this work, the PNWER RIA became deeply involved in understanding the challenges and barriers to transitioning to alternately-fueled medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. Learn more about the RIA’s drayage decarbonization work here.
Designing Washington’s commercial vehicle incentive program
In August 2023, the PNWER RIA team was selected by California-based CALSTART to join a project team tasked with designing a zero-emission commercial vehicle incentive program for Washington state. As part of this research, the PNWER team conducted a robust stakeholder engagement strategy across 24 sectors to ensure Washington businesses informed incentive program design. Learn more about the incentive design strategy here.
Projects & Initiatives
Umpqua Indian Development Corporation Truck Parking Facilities
The Umpqua Indian Development Corporation (UIDC) has a large truck stop operation in rural Oregon, including an 8-acre property for rest and overnighting for approximately 200 trucks. Located on I-5 on Exit 99, an average of 5,000 medium- and heavy-duty (MHD) trucks pass the truck stop daily. UIDC owns two additional commercial sites off of major I-5 exits, which it aims to develop into future locations for truck parking and facilities.
The PNWER RIA works with partners throughout Oregon, including Oregon Department of Transportation and Indigenous Resilience, LLC, to analyze innovative financing opportunities to support the development of truck parking, reservation systems and existing refueling infrastructure for medium-and heavy-duty vehicles.
St. Regis Hydrogen Mobility Hub
The St. Regis Two River Travel Center provides services and parking for light and heavy-duty vehicles along the I-90 corridor. Approximately 2.5 million visitors travel through St. Regis annually, as it serves as the shortest route to Glacier National Park from the West Coast.
The town of St. Regis was selected as part of the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub by the Department of Energy in 2023, which is driving continued efforts to advance St. Regis as an innovative technology refueling center. The PNWER RIA will support St. Regis and Two River Travel Center in evaluating opportunities for federal and private financing to support the expansion of existing commercial vehicle fueling facilities.
Drayage Emission Reduction
Past Project
To reach Washington state and Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) emission reduction goals, the transition to zero-emission vehicle technologies needs to be accelerated for trucks servicing the ports of Seattle and Tacoma. While ocean-going vessels, locomotives, and cargo handling equipment are all port-related polluters, drayage trucks drive through neighborhoods and idle on city streets, which more directly impacts local populations.
Drayage trucks, which take cargo from ships and drive them to nearby distribution centers or rail depots, are a crucial - yet overlooked - link in northwest supply chains. These trucks are often independently owned and operated by low-income and immigrant drivers who cannot afford newer, cleaner truck models.
As part of its work, the PNWER RIA program worked with NWSA and other stakeholders to explore TIFIA eligibility for decarbonization infrastructure.
WA Commercial Vehicle Incentives
Past Project
In the past few years, Washington state has assumed a leadership position in the national conversation on clean energy stewardship. Developments advanced by the Washington State Legislature to promote cleaner and more sustainable transportation solutions are underway with the 2023 - 25 Transportation Budget that directed the Joint Transportation Committee (JTC) to oversee the design and implementation of an incentive program for medium and heavy-duty zero emission vehicles (MHD ZEVs).
The JTC partnered with zero-emission vehicle accelerator CALSTART, its project team S Curve Strategies, and the PNWER RIA to exercise the study.
The PNWER RIA partnered with the Seattle Latino Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Clean and Prosperous Washington to exercise a comprehensive suite of stakeholder review sessions to inform incentive program design. The engagement strategy included focus groups, legislative outreach, one-on-one interviews and a 21-question written survey. Click below to learn more about the study and view the final report.
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