The facts about the “Global Gateway,” were very eye opening to residents in the Charleston area. The new port could generate 27,000 truck trips per day. Vehicle trips associated with the new terminal and regional growth would reduce the traffic flow on major Interstates to a level of service F, which means failing. Diesel consumption by added trucks and cargo ships would increase total regional air pollution by 3000-4000 tons, approximately 20%. The water quality in the Ashley and Cooper Rivers would be seriously

The continued growth of the Port of Charleston and its ability to meet the international trade needs of companies located or seeking to locate in South Carolina is essential to keeping South Carolina in the mainstream of the global economy. The failure to act quickly to expand the existing facilities of the Port of Charleston will have a dramatic effect of denying opportunities for economic progress as well as exposure to global leading edge technologies for the working citizens of South Carolina.

Residents and political representatives of North Charleston have protested the use of the former Naval Base as an expansion site since that option was brought to the table. The North Charleston zoning board changed zoning laws in an attempt to prevent any further port activity at the former Naval Base. However, the General Assembly has recently amended proposed bill 926 to read:

The effects of dredging projects in the Charleston harbor are not easy to predict, but deserve careful attention to prevent from damaging Charleston’s shores.

The SPA bases their argument on figures from an Economic impact study done by Mercer Management Consulting in 1997. The study found that the port’s impact on the state’s economy in terms of sales and revenues resulting from commerce through its facilities were $10.7 billion, supporting 83.1 thousand jobs for state residents. These residents earned over $2.6 billion in personal income, and combined with the sales revenue impact, created a positive flow of $314.2 million in tax revenues for state and local governments (1997 EIS). The SPA stresses the significance of these figures when measured as percent increases from the economic impact study done in 1994. However, one opponent raises serious doubt about the credibility of SPA figures. Jerry Rosen, in a March 2002 letter to the editor of the Post and Courier, writes that

Some topics in this essay:
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