By Jennie Dickinson and Kathryn Witherington, Port of Columbia

One of the significant advantages of having new industries invest in a community is the potential of an increased tax base. In Columbia County, we have already seen the effects of this from one important industry – renewable energy. Before the wind industry invested in Columbia County, our tax base was just over $286 million. Ten years later, our tax base has risen to $868 million. This is an increase of 227%. For comparison, Walla Walla County experienced an 86% tax base increase in the same time frame. A larger tax base mea...