| |  |
- Message from the Executive Director
- Q2 2026 at a Glance
- Commissioners' Corner
-
Building Momentum on Power and Water Infrastructure
- News from Around the Region
| | | Message from the Executive Director | | | | |
Welcome back to our newsletter. As summer heat settles in and wildfire season remains active across the region, I hope you and your families stay safe, prepared, and attentive to local conditions. Our airport has been very busy supporting regional firefighting activity, and we are grateful to the brave emergency-response teams working so hard to protect communities across the Northwest. We wish them success in their efforts and safe trips home.
The second quarter offered a strong view of the momentum building across the Port district and Moses Lake. From infrastructure and aviation to workforce development, clean technology, and community engagement, important advancements were made and partnerships deepened around the industries and initiatives shaping our future. As Executive Director, I am encouraged by what this alignment signals: a community with the capacity, relationships, and ambition to compete, grow, and lead.
In infrastructure developments, I want to recognize the partners advancing W20, our regional water effort. At the Washington Public Ports Association’s annual Spring Meeting in May, the Port and its partners received the Creative Partnership Award, reflecting the leadership, trust, and cooperation behind this work. W20 is ambitious because the challenge is significant, but it is also the kind of regional effort that can create lasting value across the Columbia Basin. Congratulations to our partners for this much-deserved recognition of their invaluable support.
| | |
That larger infrastructure story is one of this issue’s central themes. Richard Hanover, our Director of Business Development, takes a closer look at how the Port’s work on water and power capacity is moving from discussion into a more organized path forward. I encourage you to read his perspective for more on the partnerships, technical work, and long-term thinking behind these efforts.
Two Washington State Department of Commerce-sponsored events in June underscored how our region fits into broader conversations about aviation, energy, and economic development. The first event, FlightPath, held June 11th at AeroTEC the day before the Moses Lake Airshow, offered a preview of airshow practice runs while highlighting aerospace innovation, sustainable aviation fuels, and the talent pipeline needed to support them. Our thanks to Commerce for producing video overviews featuring the Moses Lake Airshow, our community’s role in keeping Washington a global aerospace leader, and the importance of maintaining the workforce. We've also added these videos to a playlist on our YouTube channel.
| | L to R: Dan Roach, Port of Moses Lake Commissioner, Kent Jones, and Washington Public Port Association (WPPA) Executive Director Eric Ffitch. Photo courtesy: WPPA | | |
Also in June, the One Washington Battery Summit brought statewide attention to Moses Lake’s role in the future of energy storage, grid reliability, and next-generation manufacturing. Sponsored by Commerce and held at Big Bend Community College and the Port in partnership with the PNW Battery Collaborative, the event featured leaders from Commerce, UW Clean Energy Institute, Group14, and Port of Seattle. Attendees also toured the Big Bend Community College Workforce Education Center (WEC), the Port of Moses Lake, and Sila, making the summit a valuable opportunity to connect policy, industry, education, and place-based economic development. Thank you to PNW Battery Collaborative, Big Bend Community College, and everyone who traveled to Moses Lake for this important East-meets-West conversation.
On the workforce front, Career Explore Northwest went into production locally this past quarter, bringing a career-video series to Moses Lake and Central Washington. Produced by KSPS PBS in partnership with Grant County EDC, North Central ESD, the Port, and local employers, the grant-funded project will introduce students and career explorers to real jobs, local employers, and the skills and pathways connected to opportunities here at home. You’ll see more on AeroTEC’s role below, and we look forward to sharing additional stories as the series develops.
Twelve, The Carbon Transformation Company, also marked a major milestone June 10th with the ribbon cutting for its AirPlant™ One facility. We have a story on that below, but I also encourage you to watch this video, where Twelve CEO and Co-Founder Nicholas Flanders discusses the facility and why the company chose Moses Lake. Congratulations to Twelve, and thank you for choosing our district!
Finally, the Moses Lake Airshow, held June 12–13, was a tremendous success. Attendance increased by 30% over 2025, reinforcing the event’s growing role as a signature aviation and tourism draw for our region. Friday’s free admission welcomed families at the start of summer break, along with aviation enthusiasts from across the Northwest; 21% of attendees traveled more than 80 miles to take part. The Port was also pleased to host a VIP breakfast on Saturday for regional elected officials, offering front row view of the activity on the show line. We extend our sincerest thanks to the Moses Lake Airshow organizers, sponsors, and performers for making this year’s event unforgettable and continuing to build an experience that celebrates the aviation spirit of our region. Read more here, learn more about the Moses Lake Airshow, and sign up for their newsletter.
As I look back on the quarter, what stands out most is the steady pace of activity across Moses Lake: more projects are advancing, more partnerships are forming, and more opportunities are becoming more tangible. That is how communities position themselves to lead: by doing the work, building the relationships, and staying focused on the long-term opportunities ahead. I encourage you to read the news summaries below for more on the scope of our meaningful progress, and to follow the Port of Moses Lake on social media to stay connected between issues. Until next time!
| | June 25: Our Executive Director, Dan Roach, seen with new Columbia Basin Herald Editor, Ken Smith. Thank you, Columbia Basin Herald, for opening your doors for this meet and greet! Welcome to the community, Ken! | | June 19: Port of Moses Lake’s Airport Director Rich Mueller joined Boeing's PNW Leadership Next (PNWLX) Moses Lake Roadshow, a day highlighting the people, partnerships, and operations that make Boeing’s Moses Lake site a standout in aerospace. | | June 19: KSPS PBS at AeroTEC in Moses Lake to film for Career Explore NW, connecting people with real career opportunities here at home. Project partners include local employers, KSPS PBS, Grant County EDC, North Central ESD, and the Port. | | June 12: Moses Lake Airshow 2026 is officially in the books and one of our favorite highlights was watching aviation fans bring our 8’ x 4’ mural to life. Celebrating 80 years of historical aerospace milestones at Grant County International Airport, the mural became a place for pilots, veterans, history buffs, families, and visitors to share stories, and leave their mark. Thank you! | | June 11: We were pleased to partner with the Washington State Department of Commerce, AeroTEC and Grant County EDC for FlightPath: Building the Future Together, a forum focused on aerospace innovation and expansion in Central Washington. A great day for building connections, sharing ideas, and working together to keep our region and Washington State a leader in aerospace. | | June 10: We had the pleasure to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Twelve, The Carbon Transformation Company's AirPlant™ One. The opening marked a significant achievement for Twelve, our community, and the future of energy innovation. It was also a powerful reminder of the role Moses Lake is playing in shaping the future of industry and energy. Congratulations, Twelve! | | June 9: Great meeting at Big Bend Community College and the Port for the One Washington Battery Summit, sponsored by Washington State Department of Commerce and PNW Battery Collaborative. The event brought Washington leaders together to advance energy storage, resilience, and sustainable economic development. | | June 5: The Port had the pleasure of hosting the Washington Public Ports Association as part of their Port Academy Series, which is dedicated to visiting and learning about initiatives at port districts throughout the state. Guests took a facility tour and enjoyed seeing Boeing, AeroTEC, Greenpoint Technologies, Stoke, Moses Lake Industries, and Genie from the tarmac side. | | May 26: This Memorial Day, Million Air Moses Lake hosted the 87 Heroes Remembered ceremony at the Port's Memorial Park. Million Air General Manager Mark Bonaudi officiated the annual event honoring servicemen who made the ultimate sacrifice in Moses Lake on December 20, 1952. The ceremony also included remarks from Commissioner Darrin Jackson. | | May 20: NCW Tech Alliance Flywheel Investor Conference in Wenatchee was an exciting showcase of what’s possible when people come together to build something better. As a partner sponsor, the Port hosted a booth led by Airport Director Rich Mueller. Director of Business Development Richard Hanover joined a panel “People, Pipeline, Place: Building Innovation-Ready Regions,” with Matchstick Lab's Alanna Imbach, North Bank Innovations' Dave Barcos, and Greater Seattle Partners' Rebecca Lovell. | | May 9: What a great day at Boeing’s Family Day in Moses Lake! Huge thanks to Boeing for the invitation and for bringing families together to see the amazing work happening here every day. With around 500 attendees, it was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our community, share more about the Port, and highlight our long-standing relationship with Boeing. (We DO go WAY back). Learn more about our history here. | | | Summary Update of Commision Activity at the Port of Moses Lake | | |
Power
The Commission reviewed a Moses Lake industrial cooperative and energy park concept, focusing on power-delivery constraints, industrial symbiosis, demand response, local generation, storage, geothermal assessment, transmission reliability, and protection of existing ratepayers. During the quarter, the effort moved from pre-feasibility validation to early organizational work, with funding authorized to support grant development, partner outreach, legal and regulatory diligence, and continued coordination with partners.
Water
Project partners advanced key planning and funding milestones including a request for USBR to initiate a Moses Lake operational study, receipt of a $500,000 Strategic Infrastructure Program award from Grant County, and Senator Maria Cantwell’s submission of a $1 million federal appropriations request to further evaluate and strengthen long-term water reliability, water quality, and operational flexibility across Moses Lake and the Columbia Basin.
Rail
Rail work moved from procurement and planning toward project-delivery support. The Commission authorized negotiation and execution of a construction management contract for the Northern Columbia Basin Railroad project and identified the need for related specialty services, including survey, inspection, and technical support.
| | |
Airport Operations
The Moses Lake Air Show was an operational focus during the quarter, requiring mobilization and coordination among Port staff and leadership, event organizers, sponsors, aviation participants, and public-safety partners. Operational readiness included support for tanker-base firefighting activity and continued coordination with emergency-response users, in addition to regular traffic from Boeing and United States Armed Forces. Security and access-control work also advanced, with the Commission authorizing replacement of the airport's gate access-control system to improve reliability, accountability, and controlled access across airport facilities.
Engagement
Engagement activity included events with the Washington Public Ports Association, Washington State Department of Commerce, Congressman Newhouse Energy Summit, NCW Tech Alliance Flywheel Conference, and Twelve's Airplant One ribbon cutting. Leaders also presented power project updates to Grant PUD and City of Moses Lake, and participated in an annual Memorial Day service, and annual memorial service with Japan Airlines and the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle, shown above right. Commissioners also participated in the Moses Lake Airshow and VIP breakfast on Saturday of the event, and Port Staff hosted new Editor for the Columbia Basin Herald for a tour and facility overview.
| |
June 22, 2026: The Port welcomed Japan Airlines and the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle for a solemn day of remembrance at Grant County International Airport, honoring the anniversary of the 1969 training accident that claimed the lives of pilot trainees Mr. Junichi Murata, Mr. Kunitsugu Kawase, and Mr. Toshiaki Yoshida. The observance also paid tribute to Mr. Toshihiro Suzuki, a Japan Airlines pilot who died in a 1999 car accident on Snoqualmie Pass. | |
Capital Projects
The Commission supported FAA grant execution and approved engineering task orders tied to Taxiway G reconstruction, runway deactivation and redesignation.
The project is largely reimbursable through the FAA at 95%. Bidding had already occurred, with construction costs estimated at a little over $11 million.
| Read commission meeting minutes here | | Building Momentum on Power and Water Infrastructure | | |
By: Richard Hanover, Director of Business Development
The second quarter marked a turning point in the Port’s work on two of the most important constraints facing industrial growth in Moses Lake: electricity capacity and long-term water reliability. From my perspective, the quarter was about moving long-standing concerns into a more coordinated infrastructure strategy. The Port made meaningful progress by tying technical analysis, stakeholder discussions, funding opportunities, and Commission direction into a clearer course of action.
On the energy side, the quarter advanced the Moses Lake Industrial Cooperative and Industrial Energy Park concept from a promising idea into a more structured development pathway. The pre-feasibility work confirmed that the concept is viable enough to warrant the next phase. That matters because timely access to electricity is now a central economic-development issue. Existing and prospective industrial customers need reliable service, and the community needs an approach that supports investment without shifting risk to existing ratepayers or turning the Port into a utility.
| | |
Richard Hanover
Email LinkedIn
| | Just as important, the Port brought more detailed conversations into a broader public and agency setting. Presentations to Grant County PUD and the City of Moses Lake helped build understanding around what the Port and partners are trying to accomplish. By the end of June, the Commission had authorized funding and staff direction to continue formation work, legal and regulatory diligence, founding-member outreach, stakeholder coordination, grant applications, and a cost-recovery framework. That authorization did not finalize implementation, as it’s still early, but it certainly shifted the effort from study into a more disciplined development path. | | Learn more and subscribe to W20 newsletter. | | The water effort followed a similar pattern. W20 continued to evolve from a regional concept toward a more defined sequence of technical, financial, and engineering steps. During the quarter, the Port and its partners advanced the W20 extension plan, conveyance analysis, and initiation with USBR on a Moses Lake operational study. We also secured a $500,000 Strategic Infrastructure Program award from Grant County, and Senator Maria Cantwell submitted a $1 million federal appropriations request to support further evaluation of long-term reliability, water quality, and operational flexibility. Together, those actions show the project is gaining credibility beyond the Port as it's increasingly viewed as a regional priority. | | |
Taken together, these efforts reflect a broader shift in how the Port and partners are preparing for long-term industrial development. Recruitment, tenant retention, airport operations, rail investment, and community development all rely on a stronger utility framework. The second quarter helped establish a more integrated approach: identify constraints honestly, deepen regional coordination, pursue grant and appropriations support, and bring clear decision points back to the Commission before significant commitments are made.
There is still quite a bit of work ahead, including legal, regulatory, engineering, financial, and public-communication steps before these efforts become fully implemented projects. But the second quarter produced real traction. That progress reflects the contributions of community leaders, public and agency partners, elected officials, staff, and other stakeholders who keep these issues moving in a constructive direction. That is the quarter’s most important and impressive accomplishment: we are no longer simply identifying limitations; we are beginning to organize around durable solutions.
Richard can be contacted at: rhanover@portofmoseslake.com
| | Wheeler Industrial Complex - East Moses Lake, and possible future location of Industrial Energy Park. | | News From Around our Region | | |
Moses Lake Airshow sees 30% attendance increase, draws stronger local crowd in 2026
SourceOne News
| July 1, 2026 – The Moses Lake Airshow drew approximately 4,700 attendees over two days this year, marking a 30% increase from 2025 and signaling continued growth for one of Grant County’s signature aviation events. | | Photo courtesy: Port of Moses Lake | | |
Port of Moses Lake power project about to enter second phase
Columbia Basin Herald
| June 9, 2026 – The next phase of a project to build electrical generation facilities at the Port of Moses Lake should be a follow-up study to determine what’s economically, technically and legally feasible. That was the recommendation of a report delivered to port commissioners Monday. | | | |
Port of Moses Lake power generation project moving forward
Columbia Basin Herald
| May 12, 2026 – Some existing Port of Moses Lake customers are considering expansion, and potential customers are looking at Moses Lake as an option. But, said Shannon Souza of Sol Coast Consulting, there are some roadblocks. | | | |
Hot stuff
Columbia Basin Herald
| |
May 5, 2026 – Greenpoint Technologies engineer Gary Neu walked away with $100 and some serious bragging rights at the company’s annual chili cookoff April 27.
Greenpoint, a company that does custom interiors for private planes, has held chili cookoffs for its employees for years, but this is only the fourth year that the company has invited judges from outside the company. This year’s judges were all from the Port of Moses Lake: Executive Director Dan Roach, Facility Director Milt Miller, Airport Director Rich Mueller, Executive Assistant Bonnie Peterson and Commissioner Darrin Jackson.
| | Photo courtesy: Columbia Basin Herald | | |
Stoke Space and NASA partner to scale reusable launch and re-entry
Stoke
| June 26, 2026: We are excited to announce that NASA has selected Stoke Space for a new partnership to advance upper stage re-entry capabilities of Nova, our fully reusable launch vehicle. The partnership comes via NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate under an Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity designed to advance U.S. space technology innovation and scale a competitive space economy. | | | |
Big Bend Community College Graduates Largest Class In 10 Years
SourceOne News
| |
June 22, 2026: Big Bend Community College celebrated its largest graduating class in a decade in 2026, with 703 students completing degrees, diplomas or GEDs.
The total marks a notable increase from last year, when the college had 663 graduates. This year’s class represents the most graduates Big Bend has seen over the past 10 years, underscoring continued growth at the Moses Lake college and the role it plays in serving students across Central Washington.
| | |
AirPlant™ One Opens in Moses Lake: America’s First Commercial E-Jet® Fuel Plant Begins Operations
Twelve
| June 10, 2026 – Twelve, a next-gen industrial company on a mission to electrify fuel and chemical production, today opened AirPlant One, the first commercial-scale facility in the United States to produce E-Jet fuel – a power-to-liquid (PtL), drop-in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made from CO2 and renewable electricity – and E-Naphtha™, a foundational building block for thousands of everyday products. The ribbon cutting, held at the Moses Lake, Washington facility with Alaska Airlines and Microsoft, marks the beginning of commercial-scale production and sets the stage for commercial flights in the U.S. powered by jet fuel made from air. | | | |
Nova Stage 1 Completes Proto-Qualification Testing
STOKE
| |
June 8, 2026 – Every ambitious hardware program has a handful of moments where years of design, analysis, manufacturing, test planning, and operational discipline converge into a single question: does the hardware perform the way the team intended?
For Nova’s first stage, we just answered an important part of that question.
| | | |
Greenpoint Technologies Awarded BBJ 787-9 VVIP Interior Completion Contract
Greenpoint Technologies
| |
May 21, 2026 – Greenpoint Technologies, a Safran company and global leader in aircraft completions and modifications, signs a contract for a BBJ 787-9 VVIP interior completion with a confidential client.
Greenpoint will outfit the BBJ 787-9 with a VVIP interior customized to the client’s design vision and operational requirements. The interior incorporates advanced acoustics, connectivity, and weight optimization, along with cabin environment enhancements and dual showers to support passenger comfort on long-range missions. The aircraft is scheduled to induct into Greenpoint’s Moses Lake, WA modification facility next year.
| | Photo courtesy: Greenpoint Technologies | | |
Moses Lake Growth Surges, Reinforcing Regional Hub Status
SourceOne News
| April 8, 2026 – New data from Grant County Trends shows Moses Lake’s population growth continues to outpace much of the surrounding region, reinforcing the city’s role as a key economic and service hub in North Central Washington. | | Photo courtesy: Google Maps edited with AI | | |
Moses Lake STEM Nights Draw 1,100+, Boost Student Interest in Local Careers
SourceOne News
| April 8, 2026 – More than 1,100 students, families, educators, volunteers, and industry partners gathered across Moses Lake this spring for the Take Flight STEM Night series, a three-event initiative aimed at connecting young people with hands-on learning and real-world career pathways tied to the region’s rapidly growing industries. | | Photo courtesy: NCW Tech Alliance | | | | |
