Port Expansions (GA):
A Race to the Bottom
Savannah Harbor project threatens wildlife refuge
The Georgia Ports Authority has proposed dredging 18+ miles of the Savannah River in order to lure the world's largest containerships to the Savannah Harbor. A draft environmental impact statement of the proposal is expected to be released in late 2005, giving both Congress and the public a chance to review the pros and cons of the project.
In 2000, the Southern Environmental Law Center filed suit after the Army Corps of Engineers authorized the project before assessing the economic rationale or the impacts of harbor deepening on nearby fragile ecosystems. Among other things, the studies that the Corps based its decision on failed to examine the project's potential to:
- Destroy more than half the remaining freshwater marsh in the adjoining Savannah River National Wildlife Refuge, which provides vital habitat for migrating birds, bald eagles, the federally endangered shortnosed sturgeon and a host of other species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has expressed grave concerns over the project's impact on the 26,000-acre refuge it manages;
- Prevent recovery of Savannah River's striped bass, an important resource for recreational fishing;
- Increase erosion on Tybee Island, a popular resort and residential area in Georgia;
- Increase truck and rail traffic in Savannah, causing negative impacts on land use, traffic congestion and air quality.
The Southern Environmental Law Center will ensure the new study examines the full impact of port expansion.
