NC Ports seeks pause on Wilmington Harbor expansion amid environmental concerns
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The North Carolina State Ports Authority is asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to pause consideration of a proposed expansion of the Wilmington Harbor, citing concerns about potential environmental impacts, including PFAS.
In a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers, NC Ports Executive Director Brian E. Clark requested the agency suspend further consideration of the Wilmington Harbor Navigation Expansion Project and related Wilmington Harbor 403 Letter Report activities.
Clark also asked the Army Corps to suspend consideration of the project’s pending Record of Decision.
For roughly a decade, NC Ports has examined the possibility of deepening the Wilmington Harbor from its current authorized depth of 42 feet to potentially 47 feet.
In the letter, Clark said the project could have lasting economic benefits for North Carolina, but said more time is needed to study its potential environmental effects.
“What has become clear during this process is a need to pause and give adequate study and reflection to the potential environmental impacts of a project of this magnitude, including the potential impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS,” Clark wrote.
The letter says questions raised by residents, researchers and other stakeholders about potential PFAS impacts are too important to address under a “systematic timeline.”
NC Ports said it believes the next steps should instead be guided by scientific research.
“The North Carolina State Ports Authority has a responsibility to ensure that it proceeds in a thoughtful and thorough manner and therefore it is in the best interests of the State and our host communities that we pause and allow our next steps to be guided by sound science and rigorous research,” Clark wrote.
The letter was signed by Clark and copied to Lt. Col. Kenneth M. Porter, district commander for the Army Corps of Engineers.
