by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Balancing economic pursuits and environmental protection of the St. Johns River brought advocates of each side to the table Tuesday at Jacksonville University.
Chris Kauffmann, Jacksonville Port Authority interim executive director, and Quinton White, Jacksonville University Marine Science Research Institute executive director, took part in the Economic Roundtable of Jacksonville’s “Business vs. the Environment” discussion.
While it might sound as if the two ideas are adversarial, there’s cooperation on both sides, said White.
“We’ve done a lot of things for a long time without thinking of the consequences,” said White, referring to the St. Johns River.
Yet, he applauds port officials’ open-minded approach in relation to the potential environmental impact in its ongoing effort to dredge the river to depths that would allow for post-Panamax vessels.
The significance of dredging was the first question asked of each, with Kauffmann questioned on the economic benefit.
“Obviously, it’s at the forefront of everything we’re doing from a port standpoint,” he said.
Citing the most recent economic impact study, Kauffmann said successful dredging would boost the port’s TEUs (20-foot equivalent units, a measure of capacity in container transportation) to 20 million annually, provide 65,000 jobs in some capacity and have a $19 billion impact.
“That’s significant,” said Kauffmann.
While lucrative, White was asked if such dredging would have damaging effects on wildlife and other ecological factors.
“The short answer is yes,” said White.
While the river has had significant man-made changes the past 100 years, White said the St. Johns has been resilient. Even so, conversations about balance need to continue, he said.
Conversation shifted to the Hanjin cargo terminal construction and its effects on the river.
White discussed the ecological changes associated with such construction, including allowing more ocean salt water to travel further into the river and into fresh water. He talked of recent problems such as algae blooms and fish, dolphin and manatee kills as problems that have recently appeared.
On the economic side of the issue, Kauffmann said such a terminal allows for more containers to come in and significantly opens east-west Asian trade lines from countries like China, Vietnam and India.
Finally, the question of how a balance could be struck was posed to each.
White advocated for more education to the public and finding the answer of what the St. Johns River actually does for the Jacksonville economy.
“I don’t think the public understands how complicated this issue really is,” said White.
Kauffmann said the port adheres to very strong environmental regulatory standards set by the state and that even with positive discussion, the dredging “isn’t a slam dunk,” considering the competition among Florida’s ports and from neighboring states.
White referred to an earlier point on how economic and environmental parties can work together.
“The good news is there is a lot of cooperation,” he said.
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