Nelson: GoM drilling, port top priorities

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – Panama City’s port needs dredging, and that Tyndall and Eglin Air Force bases need to keep training at a high level, according to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), who came to town June 15 to address the Bay County Chamber of Commerce. Offshore drilling could hinder that training, he said. "If we had offshore drilling it would hugely impair (Tyndall and Eglin’s) mission. This is the largest testing and training area for the United States military in the world," he continued. Nelson also touched on the area’s concern regarding the Port Panama City. He wrote to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to start work on dredging the port after funding was not included in the CoE’s FY 2018 budget. The project calls for deepening the port for larger ships to moor with more cargo. Wayne Stubbs, executive director of the Port Authority released a statement saying: "The current depth of 31 feet is not suitable for modern cargo vessels. It is crucial to the port and its users that we get this project done." Nelson called the deepening project "economically beneficial" to the region area. The senator and port authority are hoping the deepening project will be in the CoE’s FY-19 budget. (Source: WJHG 06/15/18)