Environmental Groups Appeal Delaware Dredging

Five environmental organizations on Friday appealed the Jan. 27 ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Sue L. Robinson that allows the dredging of the Delaware River to proceed.

Judge Robinson's ruling had denied the injunction brought by the five organizations and the State of Delaware last year to block dredging of the 102 miles of the river's channel up to the Port of Philadelphia from 40 to 45 feet.

The five environmental organizations represent local, regional and national organizations and include the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, National Wildlife Federation, New Jersey Environmental Federation, Delaware Nature Society, and Clean Water Action.

In their appeal the environmental groups claim that dredging will harm the environment and hurt the jobs that depend on harvesting the river's marine and bird life.

Congress first authorized the dredging of the main Delaware ship channel from 40 to 45 feet for the 102 miles to Philadelphia nearly 28 years ago, and the Corps of Engineers was ready to start the $360 million project in 1991.

Dredging has been delayed since then, first by a dispute between the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania that was finally settled when Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell agreed that Pennsylvania would shoulder all of the local funding for the project.

When the Corps of Engineers announced last year that it was ready to start dredging, the state of Delaware filed a suit for an injunction to block the dredging that was joined by the five environmental groups.

- Peter T. Leach, The Journal of Commerce.