Dredging Up the Real Dirt

Yesterday, I attended the Senate hearing on the proposed dredging of the Savannah River Harbor.  It seems the Senate wanted to question the DHEC board and staff as to why they reversed a previous decision to grant the water quality permit sought by the Army Corps of Engineers to proceed.

During the hearing, Chairman of the Board Amsler said there hadn't been any reversal.  He said that the Corps had come back to DHEC with its plan to meet the requirements of the permit, which it hadn't met earlier.  Since the Corps had agreed to meet the requirements and gave evidence on how it would do it, DHEC had "no choice" but to grant to permit, which leads me to my problem: should a project that has such a huge impact on our state go forward simply because it met a specific and limited set of permit requirements?

This is the larger issue, really.  Just because a "customer" says ‘okay, I will do what you request,’ does this mean the project should be okay?  Shouldn't there be a larger view, one that takes into account other issues, in this case for example, the economic harm to our state, by this project going forward?

Forget the fact that Governor Haley has completely flip-flopped on this issue—moving from an earlier position when she campaigned and first took office that took a hard line on Georgia and the port, to a "we have to do what's best for the region" attitude now.  Excuse me, but I thought she was elected to represent the best interests of South Carolina, not the region.  And forget the fact that this change of direction came after heavy lobbying and campaign donations from influential Georgia groups, along with a promise for a prime speaking spot at the Republican National Convention.  Forget all this, because it really isn't the issue.

The true issue is that DHEC should not be the final test for whether a project goes forward.  The final test should rest with the community being impacted, and how the project will impact the whole state.  The way the system is set up now, if any "customers" meet the regulations, they can do virtually anything they like: dredge the harbor, bring in more nuclear waste, pollute the air, contaminate the soil, destroy the water table . . . There needs to be a larger oversight of how business as usual goes on in this state.  DHEC cannot and should not have the final say.