The Savvy Citizen
Select
an international event and show how it relates to ports
and trade in Oregon. For example, how might labor problems at
Korea's Hyundai Motors affect automobile imports through Oregon
ports? How do weather events like El Niño affect international
trade? What is the effect of war or economic downturns such as
the "Asian Flu?" How does an earthquake in Taiwan affect
the supply of materials for production of computer chips in Oregon?.
According
to US Customs, the volume of imported cargo moving through
US ports will triple by the year 2020. Conduct a mock meeting
of the Trade Division of the Oregon Economic Development Department.
What changes or investments will Oregon need to put in place to
handle this growth? What government regulations will be required?
What will be the long-term implications of this expansion of international
trade for ports in Oregon and for the nation?
Research
the North American Free Trade Agreement and other recent
agreements that the US has been involved in to support free trade.
Provide a report on the effects of these agreements on trade in
Oregon. Provide statistics to support your analysis.
Collect
pictures and article from newspapers that deal with
import and export trade, river shipping, airports and transportation,
railroads, and highways. What are the major issues related to
trade in Oregon? How important do you think trade is to your town
and to Oregon? How important will trade be to your town in the
future?
Look
in the business pages of a newspaper located in a port
city (such as The Oregonian) to find the "Port calendar."
This lists the vessels in port, those being repaired, and the
vessels due into port. Identify where the vessels due into port
are from and track these origination points for a week or month
to get a sense of Oregon's involvement in international trade.
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