Deal: SC to hear appeal for deeper Savannah harbor

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Gov. Nathan Deal says environmental regulators in South Carolina will allow Georgia to make its case for deepening the shared river channel to Savannah’s seaport before the neighboring state decides whether to finalize its rejection of a permit for the project.

Deal told business leaders in Savannah on Wednesday that South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley made that assurance to him when they had lunch earlier this month.

Georgia is racing to deepen the waterway to the Port of Savannah to allow passage for larger ships expected to arrive after the Panama Canal finishes a $5.5 billion expansion in 2014.

South Carolina, a shipping competitor, threw up a roadblock to the $600 million project in September when it denied a water quality permit, saying the deepening would do unacceptable environmental damage.