SC high court to hear river dredging case

Bruce Smith

Associated Press Writer

Updated: Apr 10, 2012, 5:30 PM

Published: Apr 10, 2012, 1:36 PM

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a dispute over a permit for a $600 million deepening of the Savannah River shipping channel.

Proponents say the deepening is needed so Georgia ports can handle larger ships that will be calling when the Panama Canal is widened in two years.

A lawsuit filed last month contends that the water quality certification approved by the board of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control is illegal. That's because five years ago, lawmakers gave authority over river dredging decisions to the state's Savannah River Maritime Commission, the lawsuit says.

The suit was brought by the Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of the Savannah Riverkeeper, based in Augusta, Ga., the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, the South Carolina Wildlife Federation and the Conservation Voters of South Carolina.

The groups contend that deepening the channel will harm wetlands on the South Carolina side of the river, including the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge and the creatures that live there.

In a brief order issued Monday, the high court agreed to take original jurisdiction in the case; that means the justices will hear arguments without the case first winding through the lower courts. DHEC officials said earlier they did not oppose the case going straight to the high court. The order sets out a schedule for filing papers in the case.

"We are pleased the Court is moving with dispatch to resolve whether the DHEC Board overstepped its authority," said Blan Holman, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center.

Besides environmental concerns, South Carolina lawmakers say the permit gives an advantage to the Georgia ports that are in fierce competition for business with Charleston, where a study of deepening the Charleston Harbor shipping channel is also under way.

Earlier this year, lawmakers passed a law retroactively suspending DHEC's ability to make dredging decisions involving the river, saying they belong with the maritime commission. Haley vetoed the law, only to be overridden by the General Assembly with all but one lawmaker in both chambers voting to override.

Last fall, the governor asked the DHEC board to hear Georgia's appeal of the permit after the staff of the environmental agency initially denied the certification.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal had earlier flown to Columbia to meet with Haley. Haley said Deal made a reasonable request and did not pressure the board for a specific outcome.

Minutes before the appeal was to be heard, the agency reached a settlement with the Georgia Ports Authority and Army Corps of Engineers. Without debate, the DHEC board approved the settlement, and it was signed five days later.

Record April boosts Savannah's container trade at port

The Port of Savannah moved 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units in April, an increase of 7.1 percent. - photo by Provided

GardenCityTerminal — The Port of Savannah moved 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units in April, an increase of 7.1 percent. - photo by Provided

Bryan County News

Updated: May 23, 2018, 1:59 AM

Published: May 23, 2018, 2:00 AM

The Georgia Ports Authority's busiest April ever pushed its fiscal year-to-date totals to more than 3.4 million 20-foot equivalent container units (TEUs), an increase of 8.8 percent, or 280,000 TEUs, compared to the first 10 months of fiscal 2017.

"We're on track to move more than 300,000 TEUs in every month of the fiscal year, which will be a first for the authority," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "We're also anticipating this to be the first fiscal year for the Port of Savannah to handle more than 4 million TEUs."

April volumes reached 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units, up 7.1 percent or 23,700 units. As the fastest growing containerport in the nation, the Port of Savannah has achieved a compound annual growth rate of more than 5 percent a year over the past decade.

"As reported in the recent economic impact study by UGA's Terry College of Business, trade through Georgia's deepwater ports translates into jobs, higher incomes and greater productivity," said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood. "In every region of Georgia, employers rely on the ports of Savannah and Brunswick to help them become more competitive on the global stage."

To strengthen the Port of Savannah's ability to support the state's future economic growth, the GPA Board approved $66 million in terminal upgrades, including $24 million for the purchase of 10 additional rubber-tired gantry cranes.

"The authority is committed to building additional capacity ahead of demand to ensure the Port of Savannah remains a trusted link in the supply chain serving Georgia and the Southeast," Lynch said.

The crane purchase will bring the fleet at Garden City Terminal to 156 RTGs. The new cranes will support three new container rows, which the board approved in March. The additional container rows will increase annual capacity at the Port of Savannah by 150,000 TEUs.

The RTGs will work over stacks that are five containers high and six deep, with a truck lane running alongside the stacks. Capable of running on electricity, the cranes will have a lift capacity of 50 metric tons.

The cranes will arrive in two batches of five in the first and second quarters of calendar year 2019.

Also at Monday's meeting, the GPA Board elected its officers, with Jimmy Allgood as chairman, Will McKnight taking the position of vice chairman and Joel Wooten elected as the next secretary/treasurer.

For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Senior Director of Corporate Communications Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or rmorris@gaports.com.

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