Ten years ago the Port of Charleston was among the busiest in the United States, South Carolina’s unemployment rate was around 5 percent, and Georgia ports didn’t rank among the top 10. Today Savannah’s port is No. 4, and Charleston ranks 11; our unemployment is nearly 11 percent, while Georgia’s is lower.

Guest Op-Ed

Part of the reason for the turnabout is that Georgia aggressively focused on port enhancement: Rail connectivity improved, warehousing space increased, marketing broadened.

This competition — and the expansion of the Panama Canal — brought a renewed sense of urgency here. Officials sought competitive rail access near our port terminals. Developers announced plans to build more than 20 million square feet of warehousing and distribution space. New leadership, including SPA President Jim Newsome, whose professionalism and esteem within the global maritime community is second to none, has boosted morale and buoyed expectations in the business community and along our waterfront. Construction of a state-of-the-art terminal at the former Charleston Navy Base is underway, and the port is investing $1.3 billion to improve facilities.

Our hard work is paying off. Last year, shipping volumes increased across the board.

A wider, deeper Panama Canal is an industry game-changer. And one of Charleston’s biggest advantages — its naturally deep harbor — allows us to capitalize on it. In an enterprise where speed, volume and efficiency are key, deep water is what the SPA terms “international trade’s new currency.”

South Carolina’s ports are indispensable to our economy, facilitating nearly $46 billion in economic output and supporting 260,000 jobs. The Upstate is home to more than 112,000 port-related jobs; the Midlands, nearly 52,000. In Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties alone, the number is over 50,000.

Competition serves the ports of Charleston and Savannah well. But now things have become more complicated. In September, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control denied the Army Corps of Engineers a permit to dredge the Savannah River and deepen the harbor at Savannah. The Corps needed South Carolina’s permission because the river is a resource we share with Georgia. After extensive study, DHEC scientists concluded that dredging would harm wetlands and water quality and threaten endangered species. The dredging dramatically lowers the oxygen levels in the river, threatening every living thing within in it. DHEC also noted that the corps’ application may not have included alternative dredging plans that could be less damaging.

Based on these and other objections — there were at least eight — the permit was denied.

But because deep water is crucial, Georgia officials asked DHEC to reconsider. In a move that was unwarranted based on the facts — and unprecedented based on its ramifications — the board agreed to issue the permit.

It’s not clear why DHEC suddenly reversed course when the science is definitive. The only new concessions of any note are a stipulation that Georgia will pay for controversial injectors to pump oxygen into the river if the corps lacks funding, and a promise that Georgia will preserve or transfer to South Carolina about 1,600 acres of marshland.

What’s even more astounding than the bargain-basement cost of this about-face is that DHEC caved completely on two of the main reasons for originally objecting: the question of whether the corps’ proposed oxygen injectors will even work (think giant aquarium air pumps), and a lack of evidence that the corps adequately studied whether there’s an alternative to dredging this part of the river.

DHEC endorsed unproven science, sanctioned the likely ruin of the river’s unusual freshwater marshes and may enable saltwater to intrude upon drinking water. And it granted Georgia a gateway through which billions of dollars in new port-related investment can flow.

As a small business owner, I trust and appreciate competition. But no business owner would voluntarily give a competitor an unfair advantage. That’s why it’s so difficult to understand why DHEC gave Georgia license to lower our standard of living. When Georgia sought permission to affect our quality of life, South Carolina’s environmental protection agency said “Godspeed.”

Mr. Grooms is a Berkeley Republican who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee.

For the last three decades, South Carolina has become the conservative stronghold of American politics. From the First-in-the-South GOP primary to our five Republican congressmen known for their no-nonsense, no-holds-barred stands, South Carolina is known across the US as the firewall against liberal DC politics.

Now is the time to reinforce that stronghold and solidify our state’s position for the next decade.

As you know, following the 2010 Census, the General Assembly has spent the last several months drawing new Congressional lines, determining the best way to incorporate our new 7th Congressional District.

There are two distinct plans on the table – one from the Senate and one from the House.

I personally worked with one of the best GOP demographers in the country to help draw the Senate plan, and despite the efforts of some my Republican colleagues to derail it, I was able to win the crucial bi-partisan support that will be necessary to overcome Democrat court challenges and ensure that we will give Republicans the best chance of winning a new congressional seat.

Ten of the most conservative Republicans Senators welcomed the support of the Senate Democrats as we knew their votes would be giving us the greatest opportunity to beat back challenges from the US Justice Department and Federal District Court.

Our plan meets the federal voting requirements and solidifies the Republican firewall for the next decade! The Senate plan I helped to write ensures:

• Communities of interest remain together and county splits are minimized.
• Continuity of Constituency is respected and less people are moved into new districts.
• Compactness of Districts is a reality as districts are smaller.
• Challenge of the Courts is minimized.
• Conservative grow continues with the addition of a new GOP Congressional District

Some of our Republican colleagues in the House and Senate don’t agree with this plan. They believe that the House plan would be best, but its racial gerrymandering of the 6th District alone puts that plan in jeopardy.  They needlessly connect our State Capitol to the Charleston Harbor and carve up LowCountry counties along racial lines to do so.  They have also failed to attract the bi-partisan support that was necessary for the successful passage of redistricting plans for SC House and SC Senate.

But my colleagues are talking to the media, saying that both my plan and I caved to the Democrats. How far from the truth they are!!

That’s why I’m coming directly to you.

The Senate Plan not only creates a strong Republican 7th district, but it is drawn in a way that makes all our Republicans seats safe for decades to come.

Over these next few days, I’m asking for the opportunity to simply make the case for the Senate redistricting plan. I believe it is the best plan out there that will build a strong, conservative Republican majority in South Carolina and keep liberal federal judges from drawing our Congressional districts to meet the fancy of the ACLU.

You are a very important part of making this plan a reality. If you believe a strong Republican majority is best for South Carolina, please contact your State Representative and for his or her support in concurring with the Senate redistricting plan.

Let’s make our mark together for the future of South Carolina.