House bill a boost for Savannah port deepening | www.myajc.com

The Water Resources Reform and Development Act technically does not spend a dime but authorizes about $10 billion in water projects around the country, according to Transportation Committee chairman U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa. The bill appears to be on a fast track, with floor consideration expected in October.

Among those projects is the Savannah Port, an economic engine for the state that has been a high-priority development project for Gov. Nathan Deal and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. The port and its cousin in Brunswick support 100,000 metro Atlanta jobs and, according to a University of Georgia study, constitute a $39 billion economic boost for the state.

Deepening the waterway from 42 feet to 47 feet would allow bigger ships coming through the expanded Panama Canal to dock in Savannah and keep the port competitive with its East Coast neighbors.

Georgia’s leaders are optimistic but wary. Inclusion of the port project in both chambers’ bills is a move forward, but the recent revival of water wars litigation with Florida threatens to complicate the tangled politics between the states even more.

Still, Deal said he’s hopeful that the legislation will pass and remove what he sees as “the only remaining technical objection” that blocks the dredging project from beginning. Ports officials have said they could begin awarding contracts to start work within weeks of a final bill becoming law.

Yet he acknowledged even if the hurdle is crossed, Congress and the White House must agree on the bigger challenge of who will pay for the project. President Barack Obama’s budget proposal next year will be a key test of how much the feds are willing to pony up, and it will be a certain topic of discussion when Vice President Joseph Biden visits the port on Monday.

“We’re ready to spend the $231 million we’ve set aside and we’ll be asking for the federal government to live up to their promise and spend 60 to 70 percent of the project,” said Deal.

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