Propeller Club - Port of Jacksonville Stands in Opposition of Local Legislation that seeks to Ban or Regulate Cargo

Update: December 10, 2021

The Propeller Club - Port of Jacksonville Board of Directors continues to follow the proposed legislation within the Jacksonville Waterways Commission to locally ban or regulate a specific non-hazardous commodity moving along the St. Johns River. Over the past month, maritime attorney and Board Member Lindsey Brock along with our current President Whitney Croxton have been in discussion with Propeller Club members and maritime businesses in Jacksonville who will be negatively impacted by this legislation if it passes. In addition, we have worked to understand the facts surrounding the barge incident and the impacts on the environment as outlined by the Department of Environmental Protection.

We believe that each user of the Port of Jacksonville should have the right to safely move cargo that makes the best use of their facility and maximizes their opportunity to be successful - supporting jobs and economic opportunity for our community. Therefore, we maintain our position of opposition to this proposed legislation as we do not support the local ban or regulation of cargo.

Every day the men and women of Jacksonville’s maritime community safely move a variety of cargoes in and out of Jacksonville’s public and private port terminals. It is vital that our industry and local leaders continue to balance the needs of a strong local economy as well as the health of our river - locally banning or regulating cargo is not the answer. We believe this balance can be accomplished through strong partnerships between local entities and leaders, as well as educational programs highlighting the benefits of both the industry and a healthy river.   

We encourage our members to attend the upcoming Jacksonville Waterways Commission meeting on December 15 at 9:30 a.m. and future meetings to be active participants in the issues impacting our maritime community.  Below you will find a number of resources related to this resolution and the situation at hand.

November 8, 2021

At the 2021 Executive Spotlight Luncheon, Jacksonville Propeller Club Board Member Lindsey Brock shared information about a proposed piece of legislation currently in process with the Jacksonville Waterways Council. The proposal would ban the shipping of coal ash in the Port of Jacksonville following a barge accident that occurred at the mouth of the river earlier this year.

The Jacksonville Propeller Club stands to advocate for our city's maritime community and will stand in opposition to this proposal. It is our goal to create a business-friendly environment for shippers that also takes into account the health of our most precious asset, the St. Johns River.

This proposal will negatively impact shippers within our community and could open the door for future regulation of the types of cargo that moves through our port. We encourage PropClubJax members to attend the upcoming Jacksonville Waterways Council meeting on Wednesday, November 10 at 9:30 a.m. to voice their concerns about this proposal.

Here are a number of resources to help you understand this proposal.

Bridgeport Settlement

ACAA-Brochure

ACAA_Coal Ash Material Safety

News Release - Coal Ash Production and Use 2020

RPI Report - Barge Bridgeport Grounding Agremax Assessment

Memo to S. Corbin - COAB Ambient Beach Sampling

JACKSONVILLE WATERWAYS COMMISSION MEETING

COAL ASH BAN RESOLUTION

Proposed Coal Ash Ban Resolution

Legislation in Puerto Rico Regarding Coal Ash