The issue of port expansion has been an ongoing battle in South Carolina for several years. The State Ports Authority (SPA) originally had its sights set on making Charleston a "Global Gateway," by expanding the port facilities to the Wando side of Daniel Island, located between Mt. Pleasant and Charleston. The plan would add a 1,300 acre terminal built on filled marshes, which would comprise almost 25% of Daniel Island. The SPA planned on a tripling of port activity, making Charleston a hub port for other feeder ports on the East Coast. The proposed expansion did not meet major opposition until the SPA published the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the project.
The facts about the "Global Gateway," were very eye opening to residents in the Charleston area. The new port could generate 27,000 truck trips per day. Vehicle trips associated with the new terminal and regional growth would reduce the traffic flow on major Interstates to a level of service F, which means failing. Diesel consumption by added trucks and cargo ships would increase total regional air pollution by 3000-4000 tons, approximately 20%. The water quality in the Ashley and Cooper Rivers would be seriously effected by nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxide deposits (SC-More Than a Port). The release of these facts alone caused local residents to seriously question the SPA expansion plan. .
The most repeated argument used in public hearings was that without the Global Gateway to accommodate the megaships, the Charleston port would "wither and die" (Laruea). Supporters of port expansion apparently think that megaships are the future of the shipping industry and that Charleston's inability to accommodate them will cause business to go elsewhere. However, the 1998 Department of Transportation study shows that the smaller ships, such as those calling on the Charleston Port, are projected to retain their market share (36 percent) of cargo and in doing so quadruple their tonnage by 2010.