The Georgia Ports are Responsible for 8.3% of All JObs in Georgia, according to UGA

The long legal battle between Georgia and South Carolina has come to an end as the two sides have now agreed on how to move forward with the $652 million port expansion in Savannah.

According to a report in the Savannah Morning News, among the settlement terms is a requirement that Georgia pay an additional $33.5 million toward addressing environmental damage and transfer $10 million worth of Jasper County land, about 2,000 acres, to South Carolina. “Getting this project started in a timely fashion is of utmost importance to me. It’s of utmost importance to the future economy of the state of Georgia,” said Deal. “So, we’re going to be doing everything we can. Some of the things we do to be able to achieve that may be perceived as expensive, but they’re necessary.”

The deepening of the Savannah Ports has been called the most important economic development project in Georgia in a generation. According to the University of Georgia the Savannah Ports contribute almost $70 billion in sales for the state and are responsible for over 350,000 full and part-time jobs in the state.