Lost amidst some of the impeachment hoopla last week was the passage of two bills to fully fund the government over the next year. The agreement avoided a fraught government shutdown fight and included some big news for Georgia. InsiderAdvantage reported last week on some of the defense wins for Georgia at Moody and Robins Air Force Bases, but the budget also included a big boost for the Savannah harbor expansion project (SHEP).
Senator Johnny Isakson was thrilled with the Senate passage of the bills and particularly their impact on Georgia as he ends his Washington career. “From full funding for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, to the Feed the Future Innovation Labs at Fort Valley State University, to funding for critical research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to the permanent repeal of Obamacare’s taxes on medical devices and health insurance, I’m pleased that the final bills we pass during my time in the U.S. Senate include so much good news for Georgia and the United States,” said Isakson. “These provisions will help secure a bright future for America.”
The SHEP funding totals up to more than $130 million, full funding to keep the project on track this year. Back in September, Col. Daniel Hibner, commander of the Savannah District for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, announced the massive construction project was in the final phase, with a completion date of January 2022.
“We’re on the 10-yard line of a fully-deepened channel. You’re witnessing the start of the last action that will have nationwide impacts. The Savannah Harbor Expansion Project is unique among other deepening projects in the value it brings to our nation,” said Hibner.
The budget funding announcement that came through this week was originally announced back in the spring after an agreement was reached between the White House and the Georgia congressional delegation.
“The Georgia Ports Authority is incredibly grateful for the work of our federal partners in bringing this project to fruition,” GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch said. “Deeper water at the Port of Savannah will allow Georgia to better accommodate the largest ships calling on the East Coast today. The lower container slot costs on larger, more efficient vessels not only save our port customers money, they lower the price of American-made goods overseas.”
The deeper channel is estimated to bring with it a significant boost per year to the economy, nearly $300 million. Corps’ estimates show that for every $1 spent on deepening the harbor, the economy will receive $7.30.
Hibner is also proud of the work of the Army Corps and contractor teams on the way the project has taken the natural environment into account. “I’m proud to say the SHEP does all this while remaining environmentally friendly. My team’s solutions-based approach and initiative demonstrate that the unprecedented environmental component of the deepening is just as important to us as the navigation component.” According to the International Dredging Review, the project’s environmental mitigation accounts for roughly half of the entire project cost.
