St. Bernard residents met with officials from Port of New Orleans yesterday during the first of a series of open houses to answer questions about a proposed $1.8 billion terminal project planned in the community of Violet.
The project, which state and port officials describe as an economic game-changer for Louisiana, has not been without controversy. Save Our St. Bernard (SOS), a community group opposing the project, said last fall that it had gathered 10,000 signatures from residents opposed to the terminal.
Port officials say the Louisiana International Terminal (LIT) eventually is expected to create more than 17,000 direct and indirect jobs and generate $1 billion in new tax revenue for the state and $470 million for St. Bernard Parish.
However, nearby residents are concerned about the project’s impacts regarding everything from parish infrastructure to environmental damage.
The project is currently in the federal permitting process, which runs from 2-3 years.
Back in December, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards called the $800 million investment from the New Jersey-based Ports America and the Mediterranean Shipping Company of Switzerland a historic public-private partnership between the state, the port, and private money to ensure the massive new terminal is built.
The port and GNO Inc. said Louisiana needs the facility to accommodate newer and bigger container vessels that cannot navigate under the Crescent City Connection bridge. Without it, they say Louisiana will lose shipping business to Texas and Alabama.
Port NOLA will hold two more open houses. One today in Chalmette at the Frederick Sigur Center, and one in St. Bernard on Thursday at the Historic St. Bernard Courthouse. The meetings will run from 4-7 p.m.
