WRRDA: Georgia, Virginia

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The U.S. Senate’s passage of the federal Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA) has cleared the way for construction to begin on the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, a critical milestone for theGeorgia Ports Authority. The Port of Virginia will benefit from passage of the federal Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) bill as language in that legislation, among other things, clears the way for the state to take ownership of the land designated for development of Craney Island Marine Terminal.

Georgia: Bill Will Enable Savannah Harbor Expansion to Move Forward

The U.S. Senate’s passage of the federal Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA) has cleared the way for construction to begin on the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project. The House passed identical legislation on Tuesday.

Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz called the bill’s passage a critical milestone.

"Today’s action is an important step toward better accommodating the larger vessels that are the new standard in global shipping," said Foltz. "Georgians owe a debt of gratitude to the members of our congressional delegation, who worked tirelessly for more than a decade to bring this day about."

The bill officially lifts the spending limit set when lawmakers first authorized the project in 1999, which will allow both state and federal dollars to flow to the port deepening.

"This landmark legislation will update an outdated spending cap that was put on the Savannah Harbor deepening project more than a decade ago," said Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal. "With the understanding that we’ll have a federal-state split on funding, Georgia has lived up to its promises. We’ve now put aside $266 million – the total state share."

"After 16 years of study, we are now on the eve of construction," said GPA Board Chairman Robert Jepson. "This project will provide significant annual benefits to American businesses, reducing shipping costs by $213 million a year – for a return on investment of $5.50 for every dollar spent to construct and maintain this project."

Once the president signs WRRDA into law, Georgia will enter a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The PPA defines how the costs of the project will be shared between the state and federal government.

Foltz said he expects to have a binding PPA within 90 days, allowing accelerated use of Georgia’s portion of the funding. These funds will be credited against the state’s ultimate cost share at the end of construction.

Initial contracts will include dredging to extend the entrance channel from the mouth of the Savannah River by seven miles farther into the Atlantic Ocean. Other early project elements include mitigation features such as an oxygen injection system, a freshwater storage alternative for the city of Savannah and recovering the CSS Georgia.

Virginia: State Will Take Ownership of Land Designed for Craney Island Marine Terminal

The Port of Virginia will benefit from passage of the federal Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) bill as language in that legislation, among other things, clears the way for the state to take ownership of the land designated for development of Craney Island Marine Terminal.

Work is progressing on the project’s first phase, which is the most complicated and time-consuming part of the project because it involves creating a 512-acre addition to Craney Island. That addition, called the eastward expansion, will serve as the foundation for the marine terminal and provide additional dredge material disposal. Today’s passage of the WRDA bill clears the way for the federal government to transfer ownership of 320 acres of the eastward expansion site that it owns to the state; the balance is already owned by the state.

"The development of Craney Island is a very important component in future of The Port of Virginia," said John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. "Having the ownership of the land transferred to the Commonwealth of Virginia from the federal government via this legislation puts the project in the state’s hands. There are multiple steps in the process to see this project through to completion and this is a critical one."

Presently, the eastward expansion site falls under the control of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which manages the 2,500-acre Craney Island Dredge Material Management Area in Portsmouth. The Corps has been the port’s partner in supporting, designing and building the eastward expansion project for more than a decade. In addition, the project has had long-time support within Virginia’s congressional delegation.

Currently, work on the project is focused upon building the foundations to the dikes that will create the perimeter of the eastward expansion. Once that phase is finished, material from various harbor dredging and improvement projects will be pumped into the expansion area and raise the floor of the Elizabeth River.