The (Civil) Society Column |
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“It gives permission to spend money, but it doesn’t give any money to spend,” he said, adding that the $266 million of state taxes put aside by Gov. Nathan Deal remains untouchable until the Corps and the GA Ports Authority draw up a formal project partnership agreement. “Without that in place, we can’t use Georgia funds either.” There’s also the matter of the Speece cones: Under the terms of the lawsuit settled last May with the Southern Environmental Law Center and Savannah Riverkeeper, it must be proven that the dozen iron lungs designed to bubble oxygen into the depleted river are actually going to work. That hasn’t even been scheduled yet, and without a positive outcome the dredging of the inner harbor will not proceed. Still, he reminds that once the state and the port get their oxygen-starved blue crabs in the same basket, the monies are there to begin other parts of the project, like dredging the outer harbor past Tybee Island. I must have squawked, because he clarified that this won’t be done with evil Transformers piercing the Floridan Acquifer but by the same maintenance dredges used to clear the channel all year long.
“The cargo ships coming through are much larger,” informed Mr. Birdwell kindly. All in all, SHEP will take between four and five years to complete and won’t begin until December, “at the earliest.” Given our historic hebetude and the fact that it took SHEP 16 years to be approved in the first place, it might take even longer. That gives plenty of time for science and politics (a friendly reminder that Deal is up for re-election this fall) to prevail, or at least to plan a really epic protest (join the Savannah Yarnbomb Squad on Facebook!) In the meantime, I’m just sittin’ here bobbing along with the flotsam and jetsam— though as much as life here definitely has its rhythms, it’s important to note that time only moves in one direction. Taking my cue from the sand gnats that disappear in the hottest part of the summer, I’ll be on sabbatical for the next six weeks to spend time with family and possibly learn to throw a cast net. I look forward to returning to The (Civil) Society Column in August as life in Slowvannah quickens once again. Until then, a humble salute and a fiddler crab wave to you and yours—er, I mean, to all y’all. cs
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