The proposed dredging of Charlotte Amalie harbor by the Virgin Islands Port Authority will be discussed by various government agencies at a 10 a.m. Friday meeting of the Senate Committee on Planning and Environmental Protection.
Calling the proposition "anti-business and anti-environmental," committee chair Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg said in a release that, while he supports the harbor dredging project, the Port Authority's proposed plan to dump the material in Lindberg Bay is "unacceptable." He said "we could lose a prime recreation area, as well as hurt local hotels and restaurants."
The proposed dredging is to better accommodate larger cruise ships. Those invited to testify at the meeting include VIPA Director Gordon Finch, West Indian Company President Edward Thomas, Planning and Natural Resources commissioner Dean Plaskett, Environmental Protection Agency Coordinator Jim Casey, and the Army Corps of Engineers, as well as the League of Women Voters and the Environmental Association of St. Thomas-St. John.