Economic board dismayed by dredging report delay

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced earlier this month that its exhaustive environmental impact statement on plans to deepen the Savannah River to Garden City will be postponed several more months.

The Lowcountry Economic Alliance met Friday to express its concern, particularly how it slows plans to build a shipping terminal in Jasper County.

"Additional delays to the Savannah Harbor deepening permit are unacceptable as they put our region at risk of losing out on a major share of the shipping market," said Beaufort County Councilman and Alliance board member Jerry Stewart. "The future prosperity of the shipping industry along the Savannah River and in Jasper County is critical to all South Carolina residents. The ships are coming, and we need to be ready."

Plans to dredge the river started a decade ago. The dredging would be required to accommodate larger "panamax" ships that will be sailing through the deeper Panama Canal beginning in 2014.