A south Louisiana parish is suing the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) to block it from building the planned $1.8 billion Louisiana International Terminal (LIT) container facility.
The St. Bernard Parish District Attorney’s Office filed the lawsuit this week in 34th Judicial District Court.
This is just the latest in a dispute involving politicians and residents who are concerned that the LIT located in Violet would disrupt their way of life and lead to environmental harm.
Port Nola CEO, Brandy Christian, called the lawsuit “preposterous” and “election-year theatrics”.
According to The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate, District Attorney Perry Nicosia said in a news release on 4 July that the cooperative endeavour agreement between the St. Bernard Port Authority and Port NOLA does not have the authority to operate a shipping facility within the borders of St. Bernard Parish.
“The lawsuit filed lays out the entire legislative process by which the St. Bernard Port Authority was created (and) further proves that Port NOLA was stripped of all its jurisdiction in St. Bernard Parish by legislation passed in 1992 by then Senator Sammy Nunez, then Representative Thomas Warner, and then Representative Ken Odinet,” Nicosia said.
READ: Port of New Orleans issues RFP for development of Louisiana International Terminal
Port NOLA, which has argued that the downriver container facility is long overdue to allow it to compete with other Gulf South ports for big ship business, has the support of Governor John Bel Edwards as well as regional and parish economic development agencies.
Last year, Port NOLA and the state signed a deal with two private operators who agreed to provide $800 million to help build the terminal as well as financing infrastructure upgrades.
The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reported that Port NOLA’s board recently approved $8 million in contracts that will finalise the project’s design and lay the groundwork for construction.
Earlier this summer, however, the project suffered a setback when $130 million of a needed $180 million for infrastructure improvements was removed from the state budget.
READ: Port NOLA Louisiana International Terminal to be equipped with shore power
Christian bemoaned the holdups, adding that the port would “review (the lawsuit) and respond in due course.”
“For decades, it has been clear that a new container terminal is needed downriver from the Crescent City Connection Bridge in order to secure the future of the state’s trade-based economy and to make Louisiana the premier shipping gateway in the Gulf,” she said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, it’s situations like this that have left Louisiana struggling to compete with neighbouring states. Election year theatrics, when this process has been going on for years with regular outreach and input, are unproductive.”
This news comes two months after the Port NOLA welcomed maritime industry veteran Matthew Wypyski to the executive team as Chief Operating Officer (COO).
