Court Reinstates SC Denial of Water Quality Certification

The S.C. Supreme Court late Friday agreed with conservation groups that the S.C. Department of Health & Environmental Control Board overstepped its authority when it approved the $650 million project based on an agreement the Georgia Ports Authority and the Corps of Engineers, the project sponsors.

This decision (pdf) upholds the rule of law and ensures that the severe damage that this project will visit on South Carolina will be objectively reviewed. The result is to reinstate the initial decision by professional DHEC staff, which denied a water quality certification for the project because of its unacceptable environmental impacts.

On March 6, 2011, the Southern Environmental Law Center challenged DHEC’s authority to issue the permit on behalf of the Savannah RIVERKEEPER®, South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, South Carolina Wildlife Federation, and Conservation Voters of South Carolina.