Army Corps OKs terminal

The State Ports Authority got the official go-ahead Thursday to build a $600 million marine cargo terminal on part of the former Navy base in North Charleston, giving a linchpin of the state and local economy some room to grow.

More than four years after it began reviewing the project, the Army Corps of Engineers gave the SPA its final but conditional approval for a container port on the former military site.

It marks the end of a drawn-out permitting process for a public project that garnered statewide support from the business community and faced stiff opposition from environmentalists and local residents.

The permit lists 26 conditions, the most notable being that an access road linking the terminal with Interstate 26 must be built before the terminal can open.

That proposed road, which has been estimated to cost $277 million but has not yet received any funding, has generated fierce debate since its path was finalized in December. Most of the concerns came from residents who live near the route.

SPA spokesman Byron Miller said the access road is an integral part of port expansion. He declined to say whether construction of the new terminal would be affected if the road funding issue isn't resolved soon.

"There's not going to be any concrete poured for a long time," Miller said. "We expect three years of site preparation before we start construction."

Ultimately, the new terminal will set new environmental standards, foster economic development and create jobs, said Bernard Groseclose Jr., SPA president and chief executive.

"This project has been in the works for a long time, so we're delighted to sign the permit and move forward," Groseclose said.

"The message today is that after all this lengthy effort, all these federal agencies have concluded we've done everything we can to address the impacts and mitigation of this project," he said.

The three-berth port is projected to open in 2013. It is designed to handle the equivalent of 1.4 million 20-foot-long shipping containers a year. That would more than double the current capacity of the Port of Charleston, which is running out of space at its container terminals in Charleston, North Charleston and Mount Pleasant.

News of the permit approval was greeted with enthusiasm by lawmakers and business leaders.

Sen. Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, said port expansion is essential to the long-term health of the local economy, and that the former Navy base is the right location for expansion. House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, said the state's economic fortunes are directly tied to the port, which generates tens of thousands of jobs and serves as magnet for new businesses.

Not everyone was pleased with the Army Corps' decision.

The Charleston-based Coastal Conservation League said it has "serious concerns" over some of the data that were used in a major study that assessed the environmental impact of the project. Specifically, the league has questioned figures that were used to make air emission and traffic projections. It has said it will file a lawsuit if its concerns are not addressed.

Dana Beach, executive director, said Thursday that league and SPA officials will continue to discuss recommendations his group wants the maritime agency to adopt. The Army Corps signed off on the permit without imposing any additional conditions on the SPA, he said.

Any legal action would depend on how the SPA responds, said Beach, whose group has 30 days to file an appeal in the form of a lawsuit.

"We will not appeal if they're willing to adopt these measures, but they're not insignificant," he said.

The SPA applied for permission to expand on the former Navy base in January 2003. The process has been fraught by delays, including extensive negotiations with the city of North Charleston and neighborhoods that would be affected by the expansion.

Even so, some residents, such as those of the Rosemont community, have said their concerns about traffic, air pollution and other issues were not thoroughly addressed.

Lt. Col. Ed Fleming, commander of the Army Corps' Charleston district, said his engineers and other government agencies thoroughly reviewed all the relevant information.

He said his staff attended numerous public meetings and hearings over several years, and pored over more than 800 written comments. The process worked as it was supposed to, Fleming said.

"We feel confident that we've made a sound decision in this case, one that weighed all issues and concerns that were brought forward during our evaluation of the project," he said.

Among other things, the permit requires that the SPA carry out all of the mitigation it has agreed to previously to help offset the negative environmental consequences of the new terminal.

Hanna Goss, who lives in North Charleston near the proposed port site and is part of a watchdog group called Hold the Port to Its Promises, hopes the mitigation steps announced so far are just the beginning.

"Our goal has always been that our health and quality of life is not negatively impacted," Goss said. "The community shouldn't suffer because a port is coming in."

Reach Peter Hull at 937-5594 or phull@postandcourier.com.