President the Mobile Chamber and former Congressman Bradley Byrne, said he is “disappointed” to see the Mobile Baykeeper is intending to file a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the Mobile Port widening project.
The Baykeeper is claiming that the Corps failed to protect Gulf sturgeon during a dredging project in Mobile Bay.
“I’ve been a big supporter Baykeeper over the years,” Byrne said on FM Talk 106.5. “I have a lot of friends on that board. This action by Baykeeper in conjunction with a very left wing organization really disappoints me.”
Byrne said the Center for Biological Diversity, the organization working with the Baykeeper in bringing the lawsuit, is a leftwing group seeking to raise more money to execute a progressive agenda in Alabama and across the country.
“Yeah, I mean, we see this all over the United States,” he argued, with these left wing organizations that file lawsuits like this, forced the opposing side into settlement, get a bunch of legal fees off of it, which just funds the organization going forward. I mean, this Center for Biological Diversity has over 200 lawyers… and they relentlessly file lawsuits.”
Byrne said the litigious attack will simply hurt economic growth in the region.
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“This is a huge competitive advantage as it allows access to larger cargo ships, attracts new businesses and trade opportunities and in turn translates into more jobs and economic growth for our region,” he explained. “This lawsuit does just the opposite — and threatens future job growth. We believe economic prosperity and environmental protection can go hand in hand.”
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers responded to the accusation, affirming its compliance with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
“The Mobile Harbor project complies with all applicable federal and state regulations,” the Corps said in a statement. “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is actively monitoring dredging to ensure compliance and continues to work with jurisdictional agencies to protect resources in Mobile Bay.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
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