U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre, D-7th District, formally came out against the proposed North Carolina International Terminal at Southport. In a press release, McIntyre cited four reasons to kill the project, which has been a priority of the state’s Ports Authority:
? Its proximity to Progress Energy’s Brunswick Nuclear Plant and the Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point would make it a potential target for terrorists.
? The use of heavy trucks, trailers, and other earth-moving equipment to build the roads and other infrastructure for such a massive port would require could harm the existing infrastructure in the neighborhood of the port.
? The dredging necessary for the port could harm fish and other wildlife in the immediate vicinity.
? The billion-dollar-plus cost of the port has not been accounted for, nor have any feasibility studies been concluded showing how the port could operate profitably.
Gov. Bev Perdue has not said whether she wants the project to proceed.
Read McIntyre’s press release here (PDF).
