COLUMBIA - Originally set for August, approval of a $700 million port
terminal proposed for the former Navy base in North Charleston is on hold
until at least November to give federal regulators more time to evaluate
the expansion.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Charleston District said Tuesday it
extended the time it needs to complete its final environmental impact
statement for the project and a new port access road by 65 days, from late
May to early August. That pushes the permitting agency's "record of
decision" to mid-November.
The decision was based on feedback from the public about the routing of
the new road, as well as questions from environmental agencies about the
models being used to measure the project's impact on water and air
quality, said Bernard S. Groseclose, president and chief executive of the
State Ports Authority.
While the SPA would prefer a decision by the end of the summer,
Groseclose told the authority's board members at a meeting in Columbia
that the permitting delay was a minor setback.
"In conversations with the Corps and so forth, the key is if we can
move forward with approval and not have any objections ... that would take
us into court, we'd be better off," he said afterward. "That's how we're
looking at it. In the long run, it'll probably be time well-spent to clear
up questions."
Groseclose said the SPA will explore ways to make up for the lost time.
The first, $600 million phase is expected to be ready in 2011 or 2012.
"There are certainly elements of the project we can speed up," he said.
"That's my hope - that we can do some of that and keep the overall project
on track."
The Corps has twice given the public extra time to comment on the five
potential routes for the port access road between Interstate 26 and the
proposed container yard. Initially, the Department of Transportation
sought more time because it said some key questions have not been
adequately addressed. The comment period now ends April 19.
"It all speaks to the relative importance of this project," said Nat
Ball, project manager with the Corps.
"It's important to realize the process is working," said Lt. Col Ed
Fleming, commander of the Corps' Charleston District.
In the works for more than a decade, expansion of the increasingly
crowded Port of Charleston has been beset by delays.
In the 1990s, the SPA wanted to build a massive cargo facility on
Daniel Island, but a groundswell of opposition forced it to refocus its
efforts on 280 acres at the south end of the old Navy base. Plans call for
a three-berth terminal that will be capable of handling up to 1 million
20-foot-long containers a year.
If you go
The Corps and the DOT are holding the final public workshop regarding
the road project from 4:30-7 p.m. Thursday at the Military Magnet Academy,
2950 Carner Ave., North Charleston.
Jessica Van Egeren contributed to this report. Contact John
McDermott at 937-5572 or jmcdermott@postandcourier.com.