Gov. Nathan Deal today said the Obama administration’s budget recommendation of $21 million will greatly aid the state’s ongoing efforts on the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project. For the first time, the budget categorized  the project as "ongoing construction,” a critical step that allows for additional funding. The Obama administration also announced today that it has increased funding of the project to $21 million for this current fiscal year. 

“This is welcome news for our state, and for the Southeast as a whole,” Deal said. “This funding from the federal government is an important building block, and federal investment is critical to a timely completion of this project. This funding, along with the state’s investment of $266 million, will allow the port deepening to move along as scheduled for now. However, in order to see this project through to completion on time, a larger federal share is needed. Georgia’s congressional delegation is aware of our needs and of the construction timetable, and I’m confident our representatives will spend a lot of time on this issue as the budget winds its way through Congress.”