Georgia’s U.S. senators push for Savannah Harbor funding

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and David Perdue, R-Ga., have introduced an amendment to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers funding legislation that would ensure water infrastructure projects like the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project remain a top priority.

The Port of Savannah, the senators noted, is the fastest-growing port in the country and a top economic development project for Georgia. The Savannah Harbor Expansion Project was originally authorized in the Water Resources and Development Act of 1999 to deepen the Savannah River from its current 42-foot depth to as much as 48 feet. However, the necessary dredging has been delayed for nearly two decades due to bureaucratic logjams.

“The Savannah Harbor Expansion Project is critical to Georgia, the Southeast and the entire country,” Isakson said. “I have been fighting for the necessary funding to keep this project on track to ensure we are not wasting tax dollars and are able to open up this critical waterway to larger vessels. Ensuring the on-time completion of this project is a win for trade, a win for the economy and a win for the hundreds of thousands of jobs the Port of Savannah supports.”

“For too long, infrastructure projects that are a critical component of our country’s commerce have fallen victim to bureaucratic red tape,” Perdue said. “A perfect example is the Port of Savannah deepening project, which took the federal government 17 years to approve. Today, the Port of Savannah is the fastest-growing port in the country and its economic impact reaches around the world. Clearly, maintaining the Port of Savannah and completing this infrastructure project should be a top priority for the Army Corps of Engineers.”