The Alabama Port Authority and a coalition of groups native to Coastal Alabama are demanding the Mobile Baykeeper and out-of-state environmentalist group, the Center for Biological Diversity, withdraw its intent to file a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, warning that the legal action threatens the state’s largest economic driver.

The lawsuit involves dredging activities for the Mobile Port expansion. It claims the Corps failed to protect the Gulf sturgeon and alleges that the disposal of 90 million cubic yards of dredge material into Mobile Bay will harm water clarity and marine life. Despite the Corps’ compliance, the Baykeeper is pursuing legal action to stall the project over claims of environmental impact.

The expansion, which has been meticulously planned and approved over many years, is set to widen and deepen the port, enabling it to accommodate larger ships and increase commerce through Alabama and across the United States. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the State of Alabama have fully funded the $366 million harbor modernization program. 

The letter charges that the Port has been working in good faith with Baykeeper and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on environmental priorities, including the safe use of dredge material.

“With this letter, the Port is again inviting Baykeeper and its out-of-state activists to stop pursuing litigation that could delay the most important economic development project in the State of Alabama,” a spokesperson for the Alabama Port Authority said. “The Port’s message is clear: drop the threat of a lawsuit, and let’s work together to achieve our shared goal of protecting Mobile Bay.”

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“Unfortunately, Baykeeper, in partnership with an out-of-state activist organization, has defaulted to a combative approach and now threatens to halt a project that has been thoroughly vetted and will bring both environmental and economic benefits to Mobile Bay and our region,” the letter reads. 

“The Alabama Port Authority and its undersigned supporters strongly advise Mobile Baykeeper to formally withdraw its intent to file a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This action is a direct threat to the State’s largest economic driver, the Port, risking the prosperity of Alabamians in each of our State’s 67 counties.”

John Driscoll, Director of the Alabama Port Authority lead the letter, which was also signed by the top officials of the Mobile Chamber, the Economic Development Association of Alabama, Manufacture Alabama, the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance, the Business Council of Alabama, Coastal 150, Partners for Environmental Progress, and the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program.

“Although we appreciate Mobile Baykeeper’s recent public profession of the organization’s support for the harbor project and the economic prosperity it will bring, direct legal action – as described by Baykeeper – threatens to bring this to a halt. Quite simply, Mobile Baykeeper cannot claim to be for this project while also taking direct action to stop it.

“With the generational impact and importance of this project in mind, and along with our fellow signatories, the Alabama Port Authority implores you, leaders of Mobile Baykeeper, to rescind the organization’s threat of legal action against the Port’s Harbor Modernization Project and come to the table in a collaborative manner to achieve our shared goals of protecting our bay and our way of life.”

The Mobile Port expansion project concluded its General Reevaluation Report (GRR) over five years ago, a public process involving any interested entities, including the Mobile Baykeeper. The project received federal approval under 20 applicable environmental and endangered species protection laws. It also received thorough reviews by federal and state regulatory agencies, including the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, National Marine Fisheries Service, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Coast Guard, and the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program.

Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.