New Report Shows High Mercury Levels In Fish Downstream Of Augusta

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control say that anglers should not eat any large-mouth bass caught in the portion of the Savannah River south of Augusta.

They have put up warning signs because too much mercury can cause damage to internal organs. On the Georgia side, there are no such warnings.

Sonya Bonitatibus is a spokesperson for the environmental group Savannah River Keeper. She says that Georgia trails South Carolina when it comes to warning its citizens about mercury levels in the river.

"There is nothing in law stating that they have to restrict the amounts of mercury that are being put in the Savannah River. South Carolina does recognize that there is a problem. A good way to notice that is when you go on the South Carolina side they have the fish advisory warnings, the big signs sitting there right on the boat landings. Georgia does not offer that to it’s citizens."

The data used in the report was compiled over a 3 year period and involved testing 15 different species of fish.

It shows that further up river in Augusta it’s okay to eat fish. The mercury levels are significantly lower.

The Savannah River Keeper speculates that the mercury comes from various chemical industries on the south side of town.

Georgia Could Get Extra Stimulus Money

South Carolina may refuse a portion of its economic stimulus dollars, and that could mean an extra $20 million for Georgia.

The money would likely go to schools and law enforcement here.

The report comes as South Carolina's governor, Mark Sanford, continues to say he'll refuse $700 million of that state's stimulus allocation. Sanford wants to use that money on debt. Federal law specifically allocates the money for education and public safety.

If Sanford refuses the money,then it will likely be divvied up between the other states, say analysts with the South Carolina senate finance committee, led by Senator Hugh Leatherman, a fellow Republican who has very openly opposed Sanford's stance. The committee's report projects how much each state will receive, based on a formula in the stimulus legislation.

Sanford has said it’s not stimulative to spend federal dollars on bureaucracies that don’t work, although he plans to accept most of the $8 billion allocated to his state.

Sanford has faced enormous public pressure to keep the money for South Carolina. His opponents say losing the money would mean laying off thousands of teachers and school staff.

Spokesmen for both Governor Sonny Perdue and the Georgia Department of Education, meanwhile, declined to comment on the issue.

New Interchange On Slate

The joint Georgia-South Carolina agency building a port on the Savannah River supports a new interchange on Interstate 95 to serve the terminal. The board of the Jasper Ocean Terminal Joint Project on Tuesday endorsed the $122 million interchange project. Officials say the interchange would create 4,000 construction jobs and open up hundreds of acres to commercial and residential development. The states are cooperating on a $500 million shipping terminal on the South Carolina side of the river just downstream from Savannah.

(Associated Press)

Officials Eye Faster Atlanta, N. Carolina Rail Link

Transportation officials are considering the development of rapid passenger rail service linking Charlotte and Atlanta.

A federal study released this month found that officials could realistically develop service that travels between 90 and 110 mph without needing major changes to the existing rail corridor.

The Charlotte Observer reported that Amtrak service on the route currently has a top speed of 79 mph and takes more than five hours to make a trip that takes less than four hours in a car.

The study assumed there would be as many as nine stops between Charlotte and Atlanta as it crosses through South Carolina.

Officials in the three states are now preparing to conduct a more detailed study to assess ridership and costs.
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Information from: The Charlotte Observer,
http://www.charlotte.com

(AP)

Ports Authority approves new terminal

The Georgia Ports Authority board is moving ahead with plans to develop a new port terminal on the Savannah River to be owned jointly with South Carolina. The board voted unanimously Monday to buy 1,518 acres of land for $5,000 an acre - for a total cost of about $7.6 million. The South Carolina State Ports Authority is scheduled to consider a similar resolution Tuesday. An agreement between the two states calls for the proposed port to be governed by a board of directors with equal representation from each state.

Official faces animal cruelty charges

Investigators have found the bones of scores of horses on land in Sumter County, South Carolina once owned by the family of a South Carolina official. Now James Trexler is charged with mistreating horses in that state as well as Georgia. Trexler is South Carolina's Assistant Agriculture Commissioner. Trexler's mother and brother have also been arrested after 30 horses were found starving at the family's land in Jefferson County, about 40 miles from Augusta.

James Brown's widow criticizes his children

Two daughters of the late soul singer James Brown and Brown's widow stood publicly in a show of unity Monday as they gave away turkeys to needy families in Augusta.

But before the day was over, Brown's widow, Tomi Rae Hynie Brown, was telling a different story. She told the Augusta Chronicle newspaper that Brown's children had treated her disrespectfully during the giveaway. She accused his children of making difficult her visits to the singer's grave that day, and to the South Carolina estate she had shared with Brown. She says she was mistreated by a security officer.

Deanna Brown Thomas, Brown's daughter denied Ms. Brown's allegations. She told the newspaper that she did not have a problem with Ms. Brown's visit, and that no one intentionally interfered with her time there.

James Brown's children and his widow are embroiled in a legal battle over the late singer's estate. There have also been questions raised about whether Tomi Rae Brown's marriage to the singer was valid.

Georgia and South Carolina announce plans for Savannah River port

The Governors of Georgia and South Carolina today announced an agreement putting more detail into a plan to develop a new port on the Savannah River.

The 11-page agreement forms a bi-state joint project office to get the port up-and-running. The office will be responsible for the nuts and bolts of finding the port’s exact location, getting the permits to build it, and developing the business plan. Those tasks will cost about $6 million. As to how long it will take, before the first ship docks, Governor Sonny Perdue could only guess:

“Well, I think these are all projections, but from the permitting side, to the construction side, those kinds of things, we’re probably talking about four or five years plus. Again, I think both states are committed to moving very aggressively here.”

Officials said today the land to build the port would cost about $9 million. That land is owned by the Georgia Department of Transportation, but is in South Carolina. Under the agreement, the port will be owned jointly by the two states’ port authorities.

South Carolina to buy part of Jasper Co. shipping terminal

According to a proposal being negotiated by Georgia and South Carolina, the states’ ports authorities will jointly own the site of a shipping terminal at the mouth of the Savannah River. A South Carolina newspaper reports the ports authorities would purchase the land in Jasper County on the South Carolina side of the river for about $10 million dollars. The Georgia Ports Authority currently owns the land. Officials estimate it could take at least five years and more than $600 million dollars to make the first phase of the port operational.

Plans for GA-SC joint terminal ownership

A proposal being hammered-out by the governors of Georgia and South Carolina says the states' ports authorities will jointly own the site for a shipping terminal planned at the Savannah River. Details from The State newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina say the ports authorities will buy Jasper County land for 10-million dollars. That land is currently owned by Georgia's Department of Transportation. Negotiations on the project have been ongoing since March for the planned 500-million dollar shipping terminal.

Georgia and South Carolina develop water plan

Georgia has signed a deal with South Carolina to develop plans to keep salt water out of an underground source of water for both states. The states use water from the Upper Floridan aquifer. Officials say pumping has lowered water levels and salt water started entering the aquifer. Committees set up by the governors of both states have been discussing water issues in the Savannah River Basin.

Plans for GA-SC port close to approval

A top South Carolina official says Georgia and South Carolina officials are close to striking a deal that would build a shipping terminal owned by both states. The chief of staff for South Carolina's Governor says in two weeks a task force will have a plan in place. One change could be how the facility is operated. Instead of the idea of a joint ports authority, officials now are leaning toward a private company to run the port. The 500-million dollar port will be constructed along the Savannah River in Jasper County, South Carolina--on land now owned by Georgia's Department of Transportation.

Plutonium coming to site near Augusta

The U-S Energy Department plans to move plutonium stored out West, to the Savannah River Site near Augusta in South Carolina. Officials say the move will improve security and cut costs.

The shipments involve material produced decades ago for use in nuclear weapons. The plutonium would come from storages in Washington State, and research labs in New Mexico and California. Delivery of three-thousand coffee can-sized canisters could begin next month, and continue for three years.

An Energy Department spokesperson says South Carolina is a temporary storage ground, until the nuclear material can be safely processed. That however, could that over a decade to complete.

South Carolina officials agreed to accept the plutonium because of the promise of hundreds of jobs. But some of them worry the state could become a permanent dumping ground.