Graham: Nation starting to move to port vision

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham says the nation is starting to move toward a national vision for its ports that will have to handle a new generation of container ships that will be calling when the Panama Canal is enlarged.

He says a report from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last month on the nation’s port needs was a wakeup call for Congress. And he says the president in recent days took a significant step toward creating a national vision for ports.

The corps’ report outlined what the nation’s ports need to handle a new generation of container ships. The administration designated projects in five ports as nationally significant and promised federal studies on the work will be streamlined. Those projects include deepening work in both Charleston and Savannah.