Obama proposes $2.8M for Savannah port expansion
President Barack Obama on Monday proposed $2.8 million towards deepening the shipping channel to the Port of Savannah - far less than the $105 million supporters wanted, but they say the amount is enough to keep the effort on the federal radar.
The Savannah port is one of the nation's busiest, and federal approval of the expansion is expected later this year. Monday's proposed funding is an improvement over last year's $600,000 allocation, and Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz called the latest proposal "an important step."
Gov. Nathan Deal agreed, saying that the proposed funding "will allow this project to stay on track."
"The funds are a step in the right direction and a tremendous improvement over last year," said Deal spokesman Brian Robinson. "But the appropriation amount is a small part of the story here. What really matters, in the governor's eyes, is this signals the federal government's commitment to deepening the Port of Savannah. This is Washington saying, 'This is going to happen.'"
Deal and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed have traveled frequently to Washington in the last year to lobby for the project. Reed, a Democrat with contacts in Obama's administration, sees the port expansion as part of a statewide and regional economic strategy that includes the city of Atlanta.
DATE:2012.3.8
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