That means deepening their own berths. And, only one company, Valero, the smallest refinery of the bunch, has committed to spending the millions of dollars necessary to deepen its berths and use larger vessels. Coastal has no plans to deepen. Sun, the largest refiner on the river with two plants, says it would have to do a detailed analysis. Experts in the field disagree about the benefits of a deeper Delaware, but critics of the project have valid points.
Time is money in the shipping business.
The 45-foot depth also raises questions. It's not deep enough for the huge cargo ships of the future. Last month, the National Wildlife Federation and Taxpayers for Common Sense ranked the project high on their list of what they describe as wasteful Corps projects. Absolutely, there should be a GAO study before another dime is spent on this project, and Andrews should continue to lead the way in looking out for South Jersey's interests when it comes to deepening the Delaware. For questions, comments, or problems e-mail us .