Even after NOAA announced Newport as its new home for the pacific fleet, it was uncertain whether a formal protest might still derail the dream.

But it was the community’s attention to detail that set its bid apart, said U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden.

“You all did the heavy lifting, and you put together a proposal that was better than anybody else,” he said to loud applause.

The center not only will give Newport a much needed economic boost, but it also will add to the science discovery already happening at the Hatfield Marine Science Center, said Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber.

It will help unlock the ocean’s secrets, he said, so we can better understand the ocean and be better stewards.

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