South Carolina will hurt its chances of stopping Savannah’s hotly disputed harbor dredging project if state legislators prevent citizens from suing accused polluters, lawmakers were told Wednesday.

A bill to stop certain types of lawsuits, approved by a House subcommittee, is supported by major business groups and legislators worried about additional liability from lawsuits against companies and property owners. The legislation says people can’t sue under state law for enforcement of South Carolina’s pollution control act.

But if given final approval, the legislation would also make it difficult to continue with a lawsuit filed by environmentalists last week against the Savannah project, opponents of the bill said.

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