If you were a fly on the wall at Wednesday’s Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill, you would know why there was no money in the president’s 2015 budget for construction of the Savannah Harbor deepening project known as SHEP.
It’s all about politics.
During a 23-minute discussion of the project, two members of Georgia’s congressional delegation — Democrat Sanford Bishop Jr. and Republican Jack Kingston — repeatedly questioned Jo-Ellen Darcy, U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Commander Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick as to why the Corps felt it could not sign off on a Project Partnership Agreement that would put the Savannah port project back on track.
Neither Bostick nor Darcy would say directly that the decision was politically motivated, but neither could offer any other explanation that the congressmen accepted.
Clearly uncomfortable — and clearly not the source of the project’s roadblock — both expressed support for SHEP, but referred to “the scope of the mitigation” having changed since the project was originally OK’d in 1999.
“In the view of the administration, we cannot move forward without the Congressional reauthorization contained in the Water Resources Development Act,” Darcy said.
That bill, passed by both the House and the Senate, is still working its way through conference committee as differences are reconciled.
Kingston and Bishop disagreed, citing language — authored by Kingston — in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014 that removed any legal impediment to federal action on the project.
That bill, passed by Congress and signed by the president in January, clearly allows for the construction funding, they said.
Asked whether the Corps had requested a legal opinion on the matter, Bostick replied, “Not at headquarters level.” He then conceded that the Corps’ Savannah District had, in fact, requested a legal opinion and was told by their attorneys they could proceed with the partnership agreement — the only thing standing in the way of dredging.
“Do you have reason to doubt your Savannah District lawyers’ ability to make this call?” Kingston asked, to which Bostick said, “Absolutely not.”
Then, Bishop wanted to know, what was the decision to hold up the project based upon?
“(If) that’s not a legal issue, it’s a political issue, wouldn’t you say?” he asked Bostwick.
“It’s not a legal issue,” Bostwick responded.
“The administration made a policy decision,” Darcy reiterated.
“I just don’t get this,” Kingston said. “If we’re all for this, there’s got to be somebody who’s not for it, or it would have happened.”
A&S Kinard opens office here
A&S Kinard Logistics, a wholly owned subsidiary of A&S Services Group LLC, has opened an office in Savannah, offering a blended solution of truck line, drayage and brokerage.
Savannah is the fifth location for the logistics/brokerage company, which also has operations in New Freedom, Pa.; Alton, Ill.; Baltimore, Md., and Jacksonville, Fla.
Chris Hutto is director of operations for the Savannah office, which will offer temperature control, dry van and flatbed services.
Kevin Ruffo, vice president of A&S Kinard Logistics, said the company’s newest operation will hold to the same standards customers have come to expect of A&S.
“We absolutely, without fail, will continue the tradition of integrity, customer service and commitment that our organization has done so perfectly for so many years,” he said.
Senior business reporter Mary Carr Mayle covers the ports for the Savannah Morning News and savannahnow. She can be reached at 912-652-0324 or at mary.mayle@savannahnow.com.
SHIPPING SCHEDULE
Following are the ships expected to call on Georgia Ports Authority’s Garden City and Ocean terminals this week. Schedules are supplied by GPA and are subject to change.
TERMINAL VESSEL ETA
GCT MUSTAFA DAYI Today
GCT APL BELGIUM Today
GCT VARAMO Today
GCT HALIFAX EXPRESS Today
GCT AKRITAS Today
GCT MAERSK VIRGINIA Today
OT GRANDE SIERRA LEONE Today
GCT HANJIN ELIZABETH Saturday
GCT APL ANTWERP Saturday
GCT MSC MELISSA Saturday
GCT CORNELIA MAERSK Saturday
GCT UASC DOHA Saturday
OT SAFMARINE SUMBA Saturday
GCT CSAV LARAQUETE Sunday
GCT LOYA Sunday
GCT MSC ILONA Sunday
GCT MSC DYMPHNA Sunday
OT SALOME Sunday
GCT HYUNDAI GOODWILL Monday
GCT HANJIN MALTA Monday
GCT ST LOUIS EXPRESS Monday
GCT NYK JOANNA Monday
GCT JPO LIBRA Monday
GCT CMA CGM MANET Tuesday
GCT BUXCOAST Tuesday
GCT MOL EXPEDITOR Tuesday
GCT ZIM TEXAS Tuesday
GCT EVER DAINTY Tuesday
GCT CHEMICAL PIONEER Tuesday
GCT OOCL OAKLAND Tuesday
GCT MAERSK MEMPHIS Tuesday
GCT MOL PARADISE Wednesday
GCT STADT GERA Wednesday
GCT VARAMO Wednesday
GCT NORTHERN JUBILEE Wednesday
GCT SHIPPAN ISLAND Wednesday
GCT ST. JACOBI Wednesday
GCT DALLAS EXPRESS Wednesday
GCT HANJIN MONACO Wednesday
OT DORIC SAMURAI Wednesday
GCT CMA CGM L’ETOILE Thursday
GCT MAERSK CAROLINA Thursday
GCT YM SHANGHAI Thursday
GCT ZIM SHANGHAI Thursday
GCT GUANG DONG BRIDGE Thursday
GCT MSC CHICAGO Thursday
OT TYSLA Thursday