They didn't agree on much, but all five Georgia gubernatorial hopefuls at a Jan. 19 forum said deepening the Savannah harbor is key to the state's economic future. 

Sometimes at odds during a discussion hosted by the Atlanta Air Cargo Association, the candidates found common ground when asked how they would support the project if elected. Each would commit state funds and lobby the federal government to see the deepening effort through.

The Georgia Ports Authority says deepening the harbor approaching the Port of Savannah is essential to ensuring long-term growth for the nation's fourth busiest container port. A 48-foot depth would allow the port to handle the super-sized container vessels that will begin traversing an expanded Panama Canal in 2014.

The canal's $5.2 billion expansion, started in 2009, has led to a sense of urgency among harbor-deepening proponents, whose ranks include current Gov. Sonny Perdue. About 70 percent of Savannah's container traffic comes through the Panama Canal, mostly from Asia. If Savannah, the second busiest East Coast port, isn't ready when the larger lanes open in 2014, business would inevitably go elsewhere.

Thurbert Baker, Georgia's attorney general and a Democratic candidate for governor, said there's too much at stake for Savannah to give up its competitive edge. 

“We're talking about 120,000 jobs that are provided directly because of the Savannah port,” he said. He acknowledged concerns about the environmental impact of dredging in the harbor, but said the state must work with Congress and "harass" the federal government if necessary to ensure the project moves forward with the appropriate funding.

Republican candidate John Oxendine, currently Georgia's insurance and safety fire commissioner, agreed, citing the port and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as two of the state's “most important economic engines.”

“The deepening has got to be done, and it's got to be done as a top priority,” he said.

The state should be careful not to overlook Savannah, especially as Georgia and South Carolina move forward on plans for a new port they would jointly operate in Jasper County on the South Carolina side of the Savannah River, he said.

"We should be very cautious about that because that port, if built, when built, is going to be a lot closer to the Atlantic Ocean than Savannah's port," he said. Ships must travel upriver to reach the Savannah port's Garden City terminal.

He said continued talks with Congress and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are crucial and that he would lobby hard for funding.

The corps has been studying the deepening project for more than a decade. It has now reached the final engineering and design phase and is weighing various plans for increasing the depth from the current 42 feet to 44-48 feet. A second environmental impact study and a “general re-evaluation study,” which looks at alternatives to deepening, are being prepared, said Billy Birdwell, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District.

The final reports will be completed no sooner than late this year, he said, meaning the next governor will likely be handling the project throughout his or her first term.

“We are dotting every 'i,' crossing every 't' before we move forward,” Mr. Birdwell told GlobalAtlanta.  

On the same day the candidates spoke, Mr. Perdue unveiled an $18.6 billion state budget. It included a bond package committing $68 million for the deepening, which some estimate will cost upwards of $500 million. Federal funds are expected to cover about two-thirds of the cost, but the amount of funding will depend on the corps's final plan. 

Ray McBerry, a Republican candidate who runs a TV and radio production company, used the funding issue to present himself as a "states' rights" proponent.  While he spent the majority of his remarks railing on government intrusion in citizens' affairs, he said Washington does have a constitutional mandate to regulate foreign and interstate commerce.

"Just as much of a stickler I am about the Constitution and keeping the federal government out of every other area of your lives, I believe that it is their responsibility to help with this Savannah port," said Mr. McBerry, who won 12 percent of the primary vote in a 2006 gubernatorial bid opposing the incumbent Mr. Perdue, according to news reports. 

State Rep. Austin Scott, a Republican from Tifton, said putting $68 million in the budget for the deepening was the right move, but he took aim at a request for $10 million to help build a college football hall of fame in Atlanta. 

"That's not the kind of thing we should be doing right now in the state of Georgia," Mr. Scott said. 

Carl Camon made the trip to Atlanta from Ray City, a small south Georgia town where he is serving his fifth term as mayor. The Democratic candidate supported the deepening project as long as coastal ecosystems are preserved. The Army Corps of Engineers has estimated that efforts to fix environmental issues associated with the deepening will cost about $200 million.

The field for the wide-open 2010 election is crowded in both parties. Some of the better-known candidates, such as former Gov. Roy Barnes on the Democratic side and former Republican Secretary of State Karen Handel, were absent from the air cargo association event.

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