Savannah Morning News - Obama Budget Snubs Harbor Deepening

News Article

By Mary Carr Mayle

Last fall, Vice President Joe Biden stood on the docks at Georgia Ports Authority's Garden City Terminal -- the fourth largest and fastest-growing container facility in the country -- and vowed the port's critical deepening project would be done "come hell or high water."

Flanked by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Biden told the gathered crowd: "This isn't a partisan issue. This is an economic issue."

On Tuesday, from Capitol Hill to the Governor's office, stunned Georgia officials blasted the administration for failure to include construction funding for the project in its budget for the coming fiscal year.

The Savannah Harbor Expansion Project is one of seven "nationally and regionally significant infrastructure projects" at five major ports listed in Obama's 2012 "We Can't Wait initiative."

At that time, the president pledged to put each project on a fast track designed to save time and drive better outcomes.

In addition to being the fourth-busiest container port in the county, Savannah is the second-busiest port for containerized exports, making it crucial to meeting the goals set by Obama's National Export Initiative.

"We are deeply disappointed and frustrated to see that the promises to help advance the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project made by President Obama and Vice President Biden were not fulfilled in today's budget release," Isakson and Chambliss wrote in a joint statement.

"It is baffling to see this administration choose to ignore a statute passed just six weeks ago that cleared all remaining obstructions to moving forward with the project. The administration has once again chosen to ignore existing law and, in this case, needlessly hamstring the advancement of the Savannah Harbor Expansion."

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014, also known as the Omnibus spending bill, was approved by Congress in January, giving clear direction to the administration to begin construction on the deepening project and to request the necessary funding, the senators said.

The administration's position to request more funding studies instead illustrates its decision to ignore that congressional guidance, the senators said.

The budget contained a paltry $1.52 million designated for preconstruction and design.

"This administration has promised to deliver economic development and economic opportunity to the state of Georgia through the authorization and funding of SHEP," Chambliss and Isakson said. "It is now clear they would rather pay lip service to Georgians than deliver on their promises."

U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston was equally infuriated.

"I am shocked and bewildered at the Obama Administration's continued stonewalling of this vital project for our economy," the Georgia Republican said. "To tout this project on the campaign trail, talk about it on the Tonight Show, and then to hide behind the bureaucracy when it's time for action is hypocrisy beyond the pale.

"Today's announcement is one more example of the Obama Administration ignoring the law and shows just how callous, cynical and disingenuous its political arm has become," Kingston said.

"No wonder Vice President Biden (who was on a fundraising trip for U.S. Senate candidate Michelle Nunn) snuck in and out of Atlanta Tuesday refusing to speak to the public."

Isakson and Chambliss noted the deepening project would support hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country each year while generating billions in revenue.

"With clear opportunity in front of them and congressional direction to guide them, the decision to delay (the project's) construction rests solely with the administration," the senators said.

Savannah is one of several ports working to deepen their harbor channels to accommodate the huge cargo ships expected to arrive on the East Coast once the Panama Canal Expansion project is completed in 2016.

Georgia's project, originally approved by Congress in 1999, calls for deepening the Savannah River channel from 42 feet to 47 feet.

"Having wasted this opportunity and broken their promises to the state, we call on the administration to allow this project to move forward and to get out of the way of the people of Georgia. We are tired of waiting," Isakson and Chambliss said.

Gov. Nathan Deal agreed, adding that he is prepared for the state to move forward on its own, using money it has put aside over a number of years to begin work so the project doesn't fall further behind schedule.

"Vice President Biden promised in the past year that we'd get this project done come "hell or high water,' but it's more accurate to say the administration is going to put us through the former to get to the latter," Deal said.

"A provision (in the Omnibus bill) allows Georgia to use the $266 million it has set aside to get the work started. That's exactly what I intend to do.

"The state of Georgia and its congressional delegation have worked diligently and patiently to see this project through to fruition. We've dotted every "I' and crossed every "T.' We've received every federal permit required and we've already waited too long.

"We will begin dredging using state funds until the federal government lives up to its obligations in this partnership."

Georgia has already set aside $231 million, and Deal has requested another $35 million from state lawmakers this year, for its 40-percent share of the harbor expansion.

Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz said, while he is extremely disappointed that construction funds for the deepening project were not included in the president's 2015 fiscal budget, he is grateful the governor and the state legislature have stepped up to the plate.

"We strongly believe that the Omnibus Appropriations Act passed by Congress and signed by the President legally allows the Corps to proceed with the project contracts," Foltz said.

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