Court Declines to Enjoin Port for Now, But Adds Federal Defendants

A federal judge declined to enjoin construction of a container shipping terminal in North Charleston for now, but agreed to expand a lawsuit challenging approvals of the terminal to include the Federal Highway Administration (“FHWA”) as a defendant. The Coastal Conservation League, which brought the lawsuit in late 2007, sought an order stopping construction to preserve options for adding rail connections at the terminal. While declining to enjoin construction at this point and allowing the League to refile its request, the Court granted the League’s motion to add claims against FHWA for having ignored rail connections as a means of lessening traffic on Interstate 26.  More information is available in the news release.