LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) — Big barges and small cruise ships are almost a surreal sight as they sail past farm fields and bare hills near Lewiston, Idaho, the most inland seaport on the West Coast.
But business has dropped sharply at the port, to 1970s levels, in the past year. That has prompted longtime critics to suggest that the port may not be economically viable in the future.
Port supporters expect business to pick up again when the nationwide economic slump lifts.
The chief critics are environmental groups which have been fighting to have four Snake River dams that make the port possible breached because they contend the dams kill wild salmon.
