Eagerly striving to secure federal money for renourishing Folly Beach, U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint said they would request a South Carolina delegation meeting with the Army Corps of Engineers and the Undersecretary of the Army, reports The Post and Courier.
The Army Corps will need a $15 million appropriation for renourishing Folly Beach and it is expected the deepening will be worth $300 million.
“ (The delegation) is trying to figure out how to negotiate this no-earmarks (federal) budget that hasn’t been passed in three years ,” Folly Beach Mayor, Tim Goodwin , said about the Folly Beach money.
“ The good news is our state and national legislators are all acting in concert to solve both these issues ,” said Chip Limehouse, Chairman of the Charleston County legislative delegation .
Graham stressed, in an email statement, that congressional delegation members would request the Army Corps meeting to discuss the Folly Beach issue further.
Limehouse said the congressional delegation is confident that the 14-year harbor deepening project will have to be considerably shortened. He also added that the state leaders made it clear the state has already committed to put $180 million in a reserve fund.
Local officials expected to find $15 million in President Barack Obama’s proposed budget to renourish Folly Beach and were disappointed that the amount of only $400,000 was provided.
The federal government is obliged under a contract to renourish the beach in 2013 and the leaders looked forward to moving up the appropriation by a year.
[mappress]
Dredging Today Staff, February 29, 2012