S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley isn’t the only politician pushing expansion at the Port of Savannah, Georgia these days …
On Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration got in on the action – pledging its support for a plan that will further diminish the Port of Charleston’s competitive position and likely kill off the possibility of a Port of Jasper.
Less than a week after Haley’s appointees on the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) approved a controversial permit to deepen the Savannah River, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood came to Savannah offering the Obama administration’s financial support for the project.
“We’ll figure out how to get the federal dollars to make this project happen,” LaHood said during a visit to the Port of Savannah. “It has to happen. The expansion of this port is a job creator. It fits the president’s agenda of putting people back to work.”
S.C. Senator Tom Davis (R-Beaufort) said he was dismayed by the way South Carolina’s economic interests have been sold down the river – first by SCDHEC, and now by the Obama administration.
“Everything about what’s happened in this matter sickens me,” Davis said.
Davis said that it’s “no coincidence” that LaHood came to Savannah promising to fund the Savannah project.
“Our own state agency kicked down the door for them,” he said.
Davis also said that the proposed Savannah River deepening is not “what’s best for the region,” as Haley has suggested.
“Jasper County is a much better site, one that could be developed with private money,” Davis said. “It’s interesting to see President Obama’s Secretary of Transportation talking about using federal dollars when you have an Jasper port site that’s 14 miles closer to the ocean, and one that could be developed with private dollars at a much lower impact to the environment.”
Haley began expressing her “regional focus” last month.
“Every port is different, and every port has its challenges,” Haley told Savannah’s WJCL/FOX 28 last month. “We have to say ‘What do we need to do that is right for the region?’ Our goal is to make sure every port (in the region) is successful.”
South Carolina be damned …
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has said that it was Haley’s intervention that prompted SCDHEC to take a second look at the Georgia project. In fact, he said Tuesday that Haley “guaranteed” him that the agency – whose board she recently took over – would give the project a hearing.
That’s quite a contrast from Haley’s initial views on the South Carolina-Georgia port relationship.
“You now have a governor who does not like to lose,” Haley told a cheering crowd of S.C. State Ports Authority supporters in Charleston last November shortly after winning election. “Georgia has had their way with us for way too long, and I don’t have the patience to let it happen anymore.”
Why has Haley gone from picking a fight with Georgia to carrying its water?
According to our sources, Haley has received financial and political consideration in exchange for her appeasement of Georgia’s interests.
Specifically, moneyed Georgia interests with connections to the Port of Savannah are said to have thrown a big fundraiser for Haley in Atlanta last month. Also, our sources say that the chairman of the Georgia Ports Authority – a major GOP donor who will select speakers for next year’s Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida – has been negotiating with Haley and her political consultant to land the governor a coveted prime time speaking gig at the GOP event.
Haley has consistently denied pressuring SCDHEC regarding the project. However, the governor’s legislative liaison, Katherine Veldran, is said to have confirmed Haley’s involvement during a conversation with a state lawmaker early Sunday morning.
Davis says that the U.S. Congress instructed the Army Corps of Engineers – the federal entity which sought the permits for the Savannah River deepening – to remove an easement on the Jasper County port site four years ago. That move would have paved the way for the private development of the facility – had it happened.
Unfortunately, the Corps failed to do remove the easement – and is now seeking to use the site as a dumping ground for the next half century.
“Secretary LaHood needs to focus less on finding money that isn’t there and more on directing the Corps of Engineers to follow the will of Congress,” Davis said. “Like a lot of things the Obama administration does, however, they don’t seem too concerned about getting value for the taxpayers’ dollar or making sure our laws are followed.”
Davis says the adverse impact to South Carolina’s economy as a result of the Port of Jasper being shortchanged is “in the billions.”
“We are talking about thousands of jobs in Jasper County – paid for with private industry capital,” he said. “Now a government-funded project is being shoved down our throats – one that will send the majority of jobs to Georgia, not South Carolina.”
***
By BigT November 15, 2011 at 5:44 pm
Uh oh: On Amazon, Obama, Haley and FITS were in lock-step…
But today: There is a split in La-La Land….
You love Obama, and hate Haley….What to do, FITS, What to do……
By Politicians Suck November 15, 2011 at 5:45 pm
Fuck Nimrada! She needs to eat shit and die! The fucking whore!
By Reaching across the Aisle November 15, 2011 at 6:11 pm
Wow! A liberal democratic president is supporting the cause of a conservative republican governor. I hear the Beatles song “Come Together” tuning up in the marsh.
The old South of Broad Charlestonians are breaking out the mint juleps. Now maybe the Cooper River will silt back up and the cruise ships will pull out too. Way to many damn tourists. And all that port truck traffic is polluting the low country. Just say no to growth!
By Chris November 15, 2011 at 6:12 pm
Anybody got a clue what’s going on around here or do you need a picture? Disgusting.
By Godslayer November 15, 2011 at 6:27 pm
Georgia has more electoral votes than S.C.
By rwwllms November 15, 2011 at 6:52 pm
That god damned meddling worthless piece of shit in the white house has got to go.
By scmajor November 15, 2011 at 7:17 pm
Payback IS a muthafucka!
Obama is simply helping the republican Shangrilah of South Carolina along the way to its certain destruction by the republican hand.
Gotta love it!
A more deserving people would be hard to find. I mean really, after 30 years of these bumbling imbeciles idiocy the voters still elect these fucktards and expect not to be screwed over by them. Let em pay the price. They deserve it.
By Mr. Dixie November 15, 2011 at 7:27 pm
I think that Obama sees that it is economically practical to have a port on the East Coast that is ready to take advantage of future shipping changes. I guess he is more than willing to support Nikki Haley, who seems to be leading the vanguard to see that this happens in Georgia. Being as modest as Nikki is, I can see her slowly trying to drop from the radar and give all the credit to Obama.
By Naughty Nookie Nikki November 15, 2011 at 7:28 pm
Sic was walking home when Nikki asked “Say, wanna have a good time?” “Sure,” he says and off they were to her state issued SUV.
Nikki takes off her clothes and he keeps staring at her. She asked, “Is this the first pussy you’ve seen since you crawled out of one?”
“Nope, just the first one I’ve seen big enough to crawl back into.”
By Jamie November 15, 2011 at 8:06 pm
Sickening, just sickening. John Rainey where are you? Please investigate Nimrata.
By Merriam Webster November 15, 2011 at 8:07 pm
@rwwllms. “goddamned” is one word my friend. Other than that you are correct.
By Columbia Insider November 15, 2011 at 8:47 pm
Keep fighting the good fight, Sen. Davis, and maybe orchestrate a bit of “port theater.” Can you round up the good citizens of the Lowcountry and “occupy” DHEC or the Corps? You have right on your side, but that’s all you have. Play that card. What are you waiting for?
By Waterfront commentator November 15, 2011 at 9:01 pm
“Jasper County is a much better site, one that could be developed with private money,” Davis said. “It’s interesting to see President Obama’s Secretary of Transportation talking about using federal dollars when you have an Jasper port site that’s 14 miles closer to the ocean, and one that could be developed with private dollars at a much lower impact to the environment.”
***************************
Tom,
Though I share your outrage at our duplicitous and ignorant governor, some of your assumptions are wrong, and in every case “wrong” meaning helpful to Georgia, which now has a strong upper hand.
Blame for this goes back to Mark Sanford for even proposing a bi-state port authority. And appointing Bill Bethea to it was like sending a child to play poker with professionals. Sanford knew nothing about the shipping industry or the dynamics of the century-old rivalry between Savannah and Charleston. We’ve now had our socks stolen off our feet.
1. The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA, http://www.gaports.com/) is no more interested than the South Carolina State Ports Authority (SCSPA, http://www.port-of-charleston.com/) in “privatization.” Both are “operating ports” (cf. “landlord ports”). The North Carolina State Ports Authority (NCSPA, http://www.ncports.com/) is in the same “operating port” league. All three have functioned like this since their inception.
More enlightened ports nationwide are landlord ports and thrive by leasing their various terminals, or even parts of their terminals, to private marine terminal operators (MTOs), many of which are subsidiaries of the ocean carriers. In the same port, these MTOs compete with each other on rates and service, making that port more competitive with other ports. Shippers, carriers, truckers, steamship agents, forwarders, customs brokers, cargo surveyors — everyone — loves privately operated terminals.
Universally, everyone hates the SCSPA. (Ask your local freight forwarder or steamship agent.)
Maersk Line, Wallenius Line, Evergreen Line, and many other Charleston carriers operate their own terminals in large ports worldwide. They, and the independent MTOs, would lease out the Wando Terminal, and all the SPA’s other terminals, in a heartbeat. SPA doesn’t want any of that! Maybe some of the SPA’s 500+ staff, including SPA execs earning $150,000 – $290,000 annually, would have to find work in the “private sector.”
Operating port authorities are like AT&T before the 1982 breakup in United States v. AT&T, the antitrust suit that broke up the AT&T vertical market monopoly on the telecommunications industry in the United States. Operating ports maintain monopoly over all marine terminals, establishing arbitrary, capricious and monopolistic rates, services and operating hours, paying their executives, staff and boards outsized compensation, and spurning “enemies” such as APM (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APM_Terminals), WW Logistics (http://www.2wglobal.com/www/productsServices/productsServices/terminalServices/index.jsp), PortsAmerica (http://portsamerica.com/), Maher Terminals (http://www.maherterminals.com/), SSA (http://www.ssamarine.com/), Cooper T. Smith (http://www.coopertsmith.com/), etc.
SPA’s powers to “decline to negotiate” with private parties, and to be immune from private actions by such parties before the Federal Maritime Commission under the Shipping Act of 1984 (the FMC is the ONLY entity to oversee marine terminal operators such as SPA), were enshrined in the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision, FMC vs. SCSPA, 535 U.S. 743 (2002), 243 F.3d 165, affirmed. That decision emasculated, outraged and silenced all opponents of the SPA, including its own steamship line customers, who filed amicus briefs. The decision was so important that (a) decisions were read by the justices from the bench, (b) the New York Times reported it on page one and (c) NPR dedicated nine minutes to it.
SPA’s board and staff answer to no person except the FMC, which will not investigate or prosecute unless a CRIMINAL violation of the Shipping Act of 1984 occurs.
SPA’s board and staff does not answer to the SC governor, SC legislature, SC citizens, or SC newspaper reporters. (SPA PR Director Byron Miller, “the face of the SPA” treats the news media like Marie Antoinette. Total contempt.)
2. Given the like-minded “operating port” philosophy of both GPA and SCSPA, what makes you think that a bi-state port authority (like
– the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ, http://www.panynj.gov/), with terminals in Brooklyn, Staten Island, Newark, Elizabeth, Bayonne, Jersey City,
or
– the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA, http://www.drpa.org/), with terminals in Philadelphia, PA and Camden NJ,
will be attractive in Jasper to the GPA? Or the SCSPA? Both bi-state operators PANYNJ and DRPA are “landlord” ports. The GPA — AND THE SPA — will give the Jasper Port Authority “the slow roll.” Talk with any SPA board member confidentially about the “Jasper governance dilemma” — the “unwanted child” — (and getting screwed by our governor and the GPA), and they will say, “Thank god I’m not involved in this personally. Sanford and now Haley are in charge of this. I just want to keep collecting my $1,000-per-meeting board fee. Jimmy Newsome and Byron Miller can handle the press.”
3. Allowing GPA to dredge the Savannah River will give the GPA SEVERAL DECADES to develop and expand its Garden City Terminal before reaching capacity.
4. With the exception of (1) Maritime Association of South Carolina (http://maritimesc.org/), (2) the ILA deep-sea longshoremen and Clerks and Checkers locals (no website but see http://ilaunion.org/links.html), and the Charleston Branch Pilots Association (http://charlestonpilots.com/), almost all of Charleston’s port-related companies also operate in Savannah — and are indifferent to the GPA, to wit, “If we don’t get the freight via Charleston, we’ll get it via Savannah. No big deal.”
5. The major, big-time money-makers who stand to lose with the GPA’s ascendency are CHARLESTON’S LOCAL real estate developers, bankers, lawyers, and construction companies who build the warehouses. From a STATEWIDE STANDPOINT, we’ll suffer in having to offer, via Charleston, (a) fewer trade lanes and (b) less frequent service to offer shippers and consignees. Only really “captive” S.C. shippers like Westinghouse (400-ton cargoes) will be compelled to use the SPA. All others are free to, and aggressively do, get quotes from Savannah carriers on Charleston through bills of lading (TBLs); e.g., export cargo is delivered to a local trucking company in Charleston which for $120 drays it to the steamship carrier in Savannah to be loaded there.
Don Welch, SPA’s Executive Director from 1973 to 1999, was fond of saying, regarding SPA’s board, “I’ve got nine bosses, all ignorant, all prima donnas.”
Amen to that.
Nothing has changed.
By eggaday November 15, 2011 at 9:55 pm
doesn’t Inez Tennebaum have some ties to Savannah/port?
isn’t she in Obama’s cabinet?
did the DOT bail out come with some strings?
By political hack November 15, 2011 at 10:05 pm
Joseph de Maistre said it best: “Every nation gets the government it deserves.”
By rwwllms November 15, 2011 at 10:52 pm
“By Merriam Webster November 15, 2011 at 8:07 pm
@rwwllms. “goddamned” is one word my friend. Other than that you are correct.”
I was talking slow and emphasizing each word.
By hisgirlfriday November 16, 2011 at 12:22 am
Surprised FITS didn’t make the SCDOT bailout connection here.
By Waterfront commentator November 16, 2011 at 3:12 am
Haley defends DHEC board
Battle rages over permit approval in Savannah River dredging project
By David Slade, dslade@postandcourier.com
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Charleston Post and Courier
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/nov/16/haley-defends-dhec-board/
“Haley received a standing ovation when she stepped up to speak, and another after she finished.”
As I wrote in my earlier post:
**************************
4. With the exception of (1) Maritime Association of South Carolina (http://maritimesc.org/), (2) the ILA deep-sea longshoremen and Clerks and Checkers locals (no website but see http://ilaunion.org/links.html), and (3) the Charleston Branch Pilots Association (http://charlestonpilots.com/), almost all of Charleston’s port-related companies also operate in Savannah — and are indifferent to the GPA, to wit, “If we don’t get the freight via Charleston, we’ll get it via Savannah. No big deal.”
**************************
I should have added to that list of three organizations the venerable publicity hound Robert New, owner of Charleston’s only line handling company. His is a monopoly and falls into the same category as the Pilots Association; when business declines, he simply raises his rates.
I stand by my earlier epistle; Charleston’s other waterfront operators work in Savannah, too.
Now then, the SPA will take it on the chin and its volume will continue shifting to Savannah, but, hey, SPA’s staff doesn’t make decisions, they operate the local marine terminal monopoly, collect paychecks and are gone by 5:01 PM. And the board, well, they’ve got nothing invested in the SPA, NONE of them are affected personally by this blunder, and anyway, seven of the nine live away from Charleston. They do get per diem, mileage, and $12,000 annually each for attending the meetings. And they get to tell friends at cocktail parties that they’re on the SPA board. Sometimes they get to travel out of state, out of the country, stay in fancy hotels, first class. You know, like for meetings of the AAPA (American Association of Port Authorities, http://aapa-ports.org/home.cfm) in Houston, Seattle, etc. and the IAPH (International Association of http://www.iaphworldports.org/) in Halifax, Seattle, Busan, Hamburg…
No person from the SPA — staff or board — is quoted saying a single word.
The only legislators who showed up were Grooms and Campsen, and their objections were … nothing.
TWO STANDING OVATIONS from Charleston’s “nationalized” waterfront community. That’s really sort of remarkable.
Who is harmed by the Governor’s action?
As I wrote earlier, not really Charleston’s private waterfront community that much because they simply handle the same freight in Savannah, but rather the SPA and rest of our entire state: new manufacturers and distributors will simply, naturally choose Savannah as the preferred and more economical port, with more steamship services to and from more destinations, with better frequency, faster transit times, at lower cost, and the State of Georgia is where they will build their new plants and distribution centers.
This makes Bobby Hitt’s job much, much more difficult.
Well done, Governor.
By Waterfront commentator November 16, 2011 at 3:33 am
There’s more. While Rome burns…
SPA chief gets $50,000 raise, 7-year contract
By David Slade, dslade@postandcourier.com
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Charleston Post and Courier
State Ports Authority President and CEO Jim Newsome was awarded a new seven-year contract and a $50,000 raise Tuesday by the SPA board, although his current contract was not set to expire until next fall.
The board’s unanimous action makes Newsome’s new contract effective in January, raising his pay to $350,000 well before the September expiration of his existing three-year agreement.
…
State Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Bonneau, is chairman of the state’s Port Oversight Commission and attended the SPA board meeting where Newsome’s new contract was discussed. He said the board made a good decision, because Newsome has shown he can bring new customers to the port.
“He’s more than a good manager and a port leader, he’s part of the branding,” Grooms said.
**************************
How has Newsome “shown that he can bring new business to the port” when volume is downward?
“Port leader?” “Branding?”
Shall we send flowers to the Governor, the SPA board and staff?
Nah, the GPA will do that.
Pingback: Washington D.C.: Obama Administration Backs Haley’s Georgia Port Push – FITSNews | Coastal Engineering News & Subscription List
Pingback: HP-UX Logical Volume Manager (LVM) & MirrorDisk | The best learning resources
By Bogart November 16, 2011 at 9:27 am
Haley spoke before a large audience of Port Charleston supporters Tuesday and Robert New said “the anger in the room was palpable”………..She recieved a standing ovation before she spoke and again afterwards…….Talk about being handled.
By wawa November 16, 2011 at 9:55 am
2 takes on this:
1 – do we not suppose that Obama support for the Savannah site may be due to Haley’s impediments to SC sites?
2 – Georgia is in play for Obama, SC isn’t…
I suspect #1 is a better explanation.
It’s like there are 2 people who both want a pizza, one says I give up you can have it – it’s best one of us eats, then a 3rd person comes in and says “that pizza will be good for you,” then the 2nd person and his friends and family say “what the hell do you mean that pizza will be good for him, he doesn’t deserve it.” They’re getting mad at the 3rd person commenting on a decision that’s been made between 2 parties – maybe they should focus all of that anger on the dumb ass that gave it up to begin with.
By wawa November 16, 2011 at 10:05 am
“Think that Obama sees that it is economically practical to have a port on the East Coast that is ready to take advantage of future shipping changes. I guess he is more than willing to support Nikki Haley, who seems to be leading the vanguard to see that this happens in Georgia. Being as modest as Nikki is, I can see her slowly trying to drop from the radar and give all the credit to Obama.”
That’s what I’m saying… Why point the finger at Obama? This seems like a pretty pragmatic approach if you ask me. I doubt they suspect that our governor is literally selling us down the river.
SC and GA for all intents and purposes agree that it should go to GA. It’s not his fault that SC has terrible decision making.
By wawa November 16, 2011 at 10:06 am
By the way – WHO THE F*** VOTED FOR THIS WOMAN TO BEGIN WITH?
Bunch of uneducated, hick, straight vote GOP dumb-asses.
By Jan November 16, 2011 at 10:42 am
The reason SC is the success it is today is Republicans are in charge of everything.
By Billy Bob November 16, 2011 at 12:22 pm
In essence, Obama is saying, DeMit, Graham, Haley, Wilson, Wilson jr., et al, GO FUCK YOURSELF!!
Stupid is as stupid does!!
By Can't pay the rent. November 16, 2011 at 6:22 pm
Comments from the Post & Courier’s website:
local_surf
1:45 PM on 11/16/2011
Not sure if I know too many people getting a 16% raise during these times.
citizenkane
12:41 PM on 11/16/2011
No wonder he is smiling…but so is The Port of Savannah.
sardis1200
9:50 AM on 11/16/2011
Unbelievable…
Pingback: A Broken Record, And Other Sounds Kids Don't Know | Blue Meanie .me