Issues Involved in the State Ports Authority's Expansion Plans
March 2002

FOLLOW-UP (PDF)     REPORT (PDF)     SUMMARY (PDF)

The South Carolina State Ports Authority (SPA) has been planning to build a new marine cargo terminal complex on a 1,300-acre, undeveloped piece of land it owns on Daniel Island. The full scope of the plans for the $1.2 billion terminal, called the Global Gateway, were unveiled in a draft environmental impact statement published in September 1999. Almost immediately the plan was opposed by major environmental and citizen groups and local governments in the Charleston area. In June 2000, the General Assembly passed a provision requiring the authority to obtain legislative approval prior to constructing a terminal or railroad on Daniel Island. In February 2001, the SPA announced it was withdrawing the permit for the Global Gateway and was planning a scaled-down terminal on Daniel Island.