Newspaper Page Text
The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, September 28, 2011, Page 9B
The Port of Savannah: Second Busiest U.S.
Port for Containerized Export Tonnage
Special to the Ledger
Georgia Ports Authority
(GPA) Executive Director
Curtis J. Foltz announced
to a crowd of more than
1,100 at the annual State of
the Port Address that the
Port of Savannah, accord
ing to the U.S Department
of Commerce, had become
the second busiest con
tainer port for the export
of American goods.
“The demand for export
commodities translates
into economic growth for
Georgia and the South
east,” said Foltz. “Overall,
export throughput com
prised 53 percent of GPA’s
total containerized cargo
and grew by 12 percent.”
During fiscal year 2011,
(June 30, 2010 - July 1,
2011) Savannah handled
6.84 million tons of
containerized export
cargo, second only to
the Port of Fos Angeles.
Also in FY2011, Savan
nah handled 8.7 percent of
U.S. containerized cargo
volume and 12.5 percent
of all U.S. containerized
exports.
“Georgia’s position as
the number-two export
port once again reaffirms
the Port of Savannah’s
importance to this state,
region and nation,” said
GPA’s Chairman of the
Board Alec F. Poitevint.
“The single most criti
cal factor for the Port of
Savannah’s future success,
and its ability to move
American-made goods to
the international market
place, is the completion
of the Savannah Harbor
Expansion Project (SHEP).
The work to deepen the
Savannah Harbor up to 48
feet at mean low water is
precisely the type of effort
that will bring comprehen
sive economic recovery to
the United States.”
Additional accomplish
ments in FY2011 cited by
Foltz included:
Nearly 2,000 direct and
in-direct port-related jobs
were added due to new
business and expansion
announcements at Kia Mo
tors, Mitsubishi Electric,
Dollar Tree, JFA Home
Furnishings and Phillips-
Van Heusen.
GPA handled a record
2.927 million TEUs
(twenty-foot equivalent
units), an 11-percent in
crease compared with the
previous fiscal year.
The GPA added four new
services: Grand Alliance’s
SCE2 - South China East
Coast Express 2; Hapag-
Lloyd’s Mediterranean
Gulf Express (MGX);
Maersk’s Spondylus;
and ACL/Grimaldi West
African Multi-Purpose
Service.
Intermodal rail volume
grew by 21 percent over
FY2010 for a total of
290,648 moves.
Foltz also reviewed plans
to deepen Savannah’s
harbor. “The Savannah
Harbor must be prepared
for the demands of global
shipping after the Panama
Canal Expansion is com
pleted,” said Foltz. “With
larger vessels already
calling on the Port of
Savannah, it is imperative
that the Savannah Harbor
Expansion Project (SHEP)
is approved and remains
on schedule.”
Finally, Foltz highlighted
environmental initiatives
throughout the port in
conjunction with its capital
improvement projects
and port operations. In
FY2011, the GPA com
pleted its Cross Terminal
Roadway, which provides
direct access across the
1,200-acre terminal from
the north end to the south,
separates traffic between
the container yards and
supports functions located
behind the yards. In ac
cordance with the GPA’s
environmental initiative,
approximately 20,000 tons
of crushed concrete were
recycled for the new road
way base, 1,300 tons of as
phalt millings were placed
on-site and an estimated
2,300 tons of reclaimed
asphalt were utilized in the
asphalt pavement mix for
the new roadway. In the
first quarter the road was
open, turn times decreased
by at least eight minutes
and traffic accidents de
creased by 38 percent.
Twenty new rubber-tired
gantry (RTG) cranes,
added to the GPA’s fleet in
FY2011, are another ex
ample of terminal produc
tivity and efficiency im
provements that decrease
the GPA’s environmental
impacts. By converting
from top lifts to more
RTGs on terminal, the
GPA is able to condense
container placement and
limit its terminal footprint.
These RTGs not only use
less terminal space, but
also have variable-speed
engines that reduce diesel
consumption and emis
sions. The ultra-low-sulfur
diesel used to power these
RTGs is more efficient due
to a fuel additive used at
the Port of Savannah.
Through the GPA’s
crane electrification, use
of refrigerated container
racks, variable-speed
rubber-tired gantry cranes
and fuel additives, the Port
of Savannah avoids the use
of more than 4.6 million
gallons of fuel annually.
Georgia’s deepwater
ports and inland barge
terminals support more
than 295,000 jobs through
out the state annually and
contribute $15.5 billion in
income, $61.7 billion in
revenue and $2.6 billion
in state and local taxes to
Georgia’s economy. The
Port of Savannah was the
second busiest U.S. con
tainer port for the export
of American goods by
tonnage in FY2011. It also
handled 8.7 percent of the
U.S. containerized cargo
volume and 12.5 percent
of all U.S. containerized
exports in FY2011.
Breaking Out the Crystal Ball
Special to the Ledger
by Sandy Miller Hays,
Agricultural Research
Service
Whether you’re already
retired or investing to try
to build up your retirement
nest egg, if the stock mar
ket plays any significant
role in your future income
plans, I bet the one item
you’d love to own right
now is ... a crystal ball.
My own retirement
survival plan, financially
speaking, depends very
much on what the markets
do; I might not like that
much, but that’s how it is.
Lately, it’s looking more
like the phrase “Welcome
to (insert major retailer’s
name here)” could be
part of my future! But to
quote the great writer Isak
Dinensen, “God made the
world round so we can
never see too far down the
road.”
However, there’s one
area of our lives where
somebody really needs to
be able to see down the
road, and that concerns the
impact that global climate
change is going to have on
our ability to feed our
selves.
That’s where we can
rely on the scientists of
the Agricultural Research
Service (ARS), because
they’re tackling this issue
from several different
directions. Thus far, as the
old joke goes, there’s good
news and there’s bad news.
Let’s get the bad news
out of the way first.
ARS scientists in Il
linois, working with the
University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, have
found that the likely future
levels of ozone, one of the
primary greenhouse gases
in the Earth’s atmosphere,
could reduce soybean
yields by an average 23
percent. (In case you want
to impress your friends
with your vast wealth
of knowledge, the other
principal greenhouse gases
are water vapor, carbon di
oxide, methane and nitrous
oxide.)
The ARS scientists and
their university colleagues
have been testing various
soybean varieties’ sensitiv
ity to ozone in experiments
called SoyFACE. This in
volves growing the plants
in open-air field conditions
under the atmospheric
conditions predicted for
the year 2050. By that
time, ozone concentra
tions are expected to be 50
percent higher than today’s
levels.
During a two-year pe
riod, the scientists tested
10 Midwestern soybean
varieties that had been re
leased to farmers between
1952 and 2003. The variet
ies were selected from
initial tests of 22 cultivars
and experimental lines
that had been evaluated for
four years.
Here’s the punch line,
and it’s not at all funny:
The scientists found that
exposure to 82 parts per
billion of ozone reduced
the soybeans’ yields by an
average 23 percent across
all 10 varieties. They also
found significant differ
ences in ozone tolerance
among the varieties.
But that last bit is actu
ally good news--much as
it might not sound like it-
-because those significant
differences leave the door
open for our plant breeders
to develop more ozone-
tolerant varieties.
So that’s the bad news
out of the way. Now let’s
treat ourselves to the good
news, which is that rising
levels of carbon dioxide
(C02) can actually reverse
the drying effects of pre
dicted higher temperatures
on our semi-arid range-
lands.
This may seem counter
intuitive, but here’s how
it works, according to the
ARS scientist who’s lead
ing an eight-year study on
the topic.
Warmer temperatures
increase the water loss to
the atmosphere, leading to
drier soils. But the higher
C02 levels cause plant
leaves’ tiny pores, called
stomates, to close. That
means there’s less water
vapor escaping from those
plants, and it also lessens
the amount of water the
plants draw from the soil.
This study finds that the
C02 does more to counter
balance warming-induced
water loss than anyone
previously expected. In
fact, simulations of the lev
els of global warming and
C02 predicted for later
this century demonstrated
no net change in soil wa
ter, and actually increased
levels of plant growth for
warm-season grasses.
In case you’re wonder
ing why we care so much
about grasses, especially
on semi-arid rangelands,
it’s because grass-dom
inated, dry rangelands
account for approximately
one-third of the Earth’s
land surface, and provide
most of the forage eaten by
livestock.
There are still lots of
questions to be answered
about how this water-sav
ings effect applies over the
long run and in other types
of semi-arid rangelands as
well as croplands in semi-
arid areas. Also, nobody’s
saying this C02 effect
could offset the impact of
severe drought.
But as the old say
ing goes, “Any port in a
storm!”
The Agricultural Re
search Service is the chief
in-house scientific research
agency of the U.S. Depart
ment of Agriculture. You
can read more about ARS
discoveries at http://www.
ars .usda.gov/news.
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge Celebrates the Swamps
Cultural Heritage at Historic Chesser Island Homestead
Special to the Ledger
Come rediscover Geor
gia’s cultural heritage of
yesteryear as the Okefeno
kee National Wildlife Ref
uge celebrates the annual
Okefenokee Festival and
National Wildlife Refuge
Week on October 8, 2011,
from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This special event will
take place at the historic
Chesser Island Homestead,
located in the Okefenokee
National Wildlife Refuge.
Take a walk into his
tory and relive the ways
of the old “swampers”.
Watch how settlers washed
clothes, smoked meat,
collected pine resin for
turpentine, and survived in
and around the Okefeno
kee. Listen to the soothing
sounds of 4-Note Singing
performances by the Rod-
denberry Sisters at 1 p.m.
and 3 p.m., bluegrass mu
sic with the Johnny Griffin
Band and stories on the
front porch all day. Learn
how settlers made soap,
fans, butter, quilts, baskets,
and other everyday items
from various swamp and
forest resources. Sample
boiled peanuts, soup,
biscuits, and other items
cooked on the homestead’s
wood-burning stove, and
enjoy traditional games
starting at 2 p.m. including
musical chairs, wheelbar
row races and more! Join
a ranger on a short guided
walk at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m.
or 3:15 p.m. through the
hardwood hammock which
attracted a long history of
settlers to the island.
Don’t forget to checkout
Main Street in Folkston
as well. Organized by
the Folkston Chamber of
Commerce, there will be
many booths along the
street set up by members
of the community as well
as a parade starting at 10
a.m. showcasing the rich
heritage of Okefenokee
and Folkston.
In the evening, Okefeno
kee Adventures is offer
ing a special sunset boat
tour into the beautiful and
mysterious Okefenokee
Swamp, available for an
additional charge. Visi
tors will have the chance
to view alligators, wading
birds, and other wildlife.
Call Okefenokee Adven
tures at 912-496-7156 for
more information about
these boat tours.
The refuge entrance fee
is $5 per vehicle. Duck
stamps and/or annual
passes are also accepted.
Free shuttle buses will
leave from the refuge
Visitor Center every fifteen
minutes, traveling to and
from the Chesser Home
stead.
This event takes place
inside the East entrance
to the refuge, located
11 miles southwest of
Folkston, Georgia off
Hwy. 121/23. For informa-
Special to the Ledger
For the third consecutive
year. Southwest Georgia
Farm Credit is offering
you the opportunity to
replace your tired, well-
worn cap with a brand new
Farm Credit cap during
our Annual Farm Credit
Cap Exchange! Bring your
old cap to any Southwest
Georgia Farm Credit office
from October 3 - 7and our
staff will exchange it for a
new Farm Credit cap - just
in time for harvest season!
Last year. Southwest
Georgia Farm Credit ex
changed nearly 300 caps.
“We know everyone can
use a new cap from time to
time, and we’re thrilled to
see so many folks donning
a brand new Farm Credit
cap,” said Richard Monson,
Chief Executive Officer at
Southwest Georgia Farm
Credit. “Truth be told, we
don’t ask for the old cap
back. We’re honored that
our customers and our
neighbors think enough of
our organization that they
tion on events and ac
tivities at the Okefenokee
National Wildlife Refuge,
visitors may contact the
are willing to wear our
cap, and we’re excited that
we can play a key role in
helping our customers and
rural communities grow
and prosper. “
Southwest Georgia
Farm Credit offices are
located in Bainbridge at
305 Colquitt Highway; in
Americus at 1037 East For
syth Street; in Camilla at
Dentists
(NAPS)—Although the
Oral Cancer Foundation
estimates that close to
37,000 Americans will be
diagnosed with oral cancer
this year, you may be able
to avoid being one of them.
Oral cancer kills one
person every hour of the
day, each day of the year—
mostly because it’s often
diagnosed too late. Now,
however, an advanced
technology is available that
refuge Visitor Center at
912-496-7836, visit the
website at http://www.fws.
gov/okefenokee, or write
40 East Broad Street; and
in Dawson at 937 Forrester
Drive SE. Offices are open
from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Southwest Georgia Farm
Credit, headquartered in
Bainbridge, Georgia, is
an agricultural lending
cooperative owned by
its member-borrowers. It
provides farm loans for
land, equipment, livestock
can help your dentist and
hygienist better detect ab
normalities of the mouth,
throat, tongue and tonsils
that may possibly be the
early signs of cancer.
It’s an oral screening
device known as Identafi®,
which uses three sepa
rate wavelengths of light
combined with an angled
examination mirror to
identify oral tissue abnor
malities that might not be
to the Refuge Manager,
Okefenokee NWR, 2700
Suwannee Canal Rd.,
Folkston, Georgia, 31537.
Wearing?
and production, as well as
rural home mortgages. It is
part of the national Farm
Credit System, a network
of financial cooperatives
established in 1916 to pro
vide a dependable source
of credit to farmers and
rural America. For more
information, visit SWGA-
FarmCredit.com.
visible to the naked eye
and under normal light
ing conditions. This small,
cordless device’s compact
size enables painless, easy
inspection of hard-to-reach
areas in the mouth. The
device is marketed under
the StarDental brand of
DentalEZ Group.
For more information,
call (866) DTE-INFO or
visit www.Identafi.net.
Tired Of The Cap You’ve Been
Try One Of Ours On For Size!
Can Save Lives