Disney backs off cruise port on pristine Bahamas island
Source: Miami Herald
July 22, 2016 7:15 PM
Disney backs off cruise port on pristine Bahamas island
Highlights
Disney says environmental study showed project would damage coral
Residents fiercely opposed
Plans called for island to become stop with a cruise terminal
By Jenny Staletovich
jstaletovich@miamiherald.com
Facing fierce opposition from nearby residents, Disney has canceled plans to build a cruise ship port on an unspoiled Bahamian island.
Disney officials said they backed off plans after an initial environmental study found the work would damage coral on Egg Island, an uninhabited island off the north coast of Eleuthera and ringed by a pristine reef. The company, which also leases an island off Great Abaco, wanted to create a second exclusive stop with a terminal.
“We recently completed a careful and thorough review of a project at Egg Island and determined that the environmental impact of our intended development would be too significant,” Disney Cruise Line spokeswoman Kim Prunty said in a statement.
News of the project outraged residents of nearby Spanish Wells, who quickly organized a petition that collected nearly 3,000 signatures and prompted the local district council to demand answers from Prime Minister Perry Christie.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article91390757.html#storylink=cpy
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