The Port of Savannah was the first container terminal in the Southeast or Gulf Coast to move 5 million twenty-foot equivalent container units in a fiscal year. Credit: Georgia Ports Authority / Jeremy Polston

The Current

The White House announcement that the Port of Savannah will soon be able to spend $8 million to help unclog a sluggish supply chain won bipartisan celebration Tuesday from Georgia’s congressional delegation.

Savannah appears to be the first seaport in line to improve its facilities following Friday’s passage of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.

It passed without the support of any Georgia Republicans. But GOP Rep. Buddy Carter, who represents a coastal district that includes the port, applauded the investment just the same.

“This is an important first step towards addressing congestion affecting Savannah,” Carter said in a statement. “I applaud the Georgia Ports Authority for their creativity in proposing this solution and hope it will serve as a model for ports across the country.”

The millions will be used to convert existing inland facilities into five pop-up container yards in both Georgia and North Carolina, which will help address supply chain challenges the nation is experiencing.

Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock said he has urged senior officials at the U.S. Department of Transportation and the White House, as well as the Georgia Ports Authority and their officials at the Port of Savannah, to press the essential need for federal funding to ease supply chain issues at Georgia’s ports….continue reading