Being a vital part of the community means being a good, responsible neighbor. In support of this mission, the Ports Authority has instituted an organizational commitment called the Pledge for Growth, which encompasses its programs to protect and enhance the natural environment and community in the areas of Land, Air, Water and People.

Part of the Pledge for Growth is the more than $12-million mitigation plan to offset any impacts of port development on the former Navy Base. To offset indirect environmental impacts and serve the public interest, the Ports Authority’s mitigation plan includes support for large-scale land preservation efforts. Working with The Trust for Public Land and The Nature Conservancy, the Ports Authority has contributed $1 million toward the $3 million Morris Island protection effort that was closed in late May 2008 and will provide $1 million toward protecting land through the Cooper River Initiative, a broad-based consortium of environmental agencies and groups.

To protect aquatic wildlife, the Ports Authority is partnering with Wildlife Trust to increase aerial surveys that track the endangered Northern right whale. When whales are sighted, mariners can then be notified of the whales’ locations. The first surveys began in December 2007. Also, the Ports Authority is recreating 22 acres of tidal marsh at the southern tip of Drum Island in the lower harbor, as well as working with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources to restore more than five miles of oyster reefs in and around Charleston Harbor.

For the first time in a port-related mitigation plan, the Ports Authority has included measures to address the “people” impacts of the new terminal in addition to traditional environmental programming. The Ports Authority, the City of North Charleston and surrounding neighborhoods worked together for months to ensure the most positive impact from the new port facility. Their efforts culminated in an agreement for $4 million in community programming to fund education and job training programs, establish an affordable housing trust and fund a comprehensive community plan.

In the area of air, the Ports Authority pledged in March 2007 to partner with S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control to reduce air emissions associated with operations at existing and future facilities. Among other initiatives, the SCSPA is funding a new air monitoring station, using cleaner engines and including emissions-reducing guidelines in its construction bid documents. Already, the Ports Authority has switched all of its terminal equipment to ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD), the cleanest fuel available, three years ahead of a federal mandate. Also, by September 2008, all tenants on the Ports Authority’s facilities will be using ULSD.

For more information on the Ports Authority’s commitment to the environment and the community, visit www.PledgeforGrowth.com.