COE OK with harbor project

Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen Darcy yesterday signed the a record of decision for the harbor expansion project in Savannah, Georgia. It confirms that the proposed plan for channel improvements there is in the national interest and meets the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. The decision also allows the project to advance to the construction phase. Before construction can begin, the Corps must obtain Congressional approval for an increase in project cost from the 1999 figure of $230 million to the current estimated cost of $652 million. Nearby Charleston, S.C. also seeks approval to deepen its harbor.