Two Charleston neighborhood associations and other groups have filed a formal appeal in their efforts to challenge permits for a new cruise ship terminal planned for the peninsula.

They are seeking to overturn a decision by S.C. Administrative Law Judge Ralph Anderson III, who dismissed their lawsuit in April.

Anderson ruled that the groups did not have standing to challenge the legality of state permits for the cruise building.

Blan Holman of the Southern Environmental Law Center and other attorneys filed the 74-page opening brief earlier this week with the S.C. Court of Appeals.

They cited at least seven errors in Anderson’s ruling. The briefing said the judge’s April 11 decision “runs contrary to the General Assembly’s intent in providing that all ‘affected persons’ can contest” permits issued by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

The State Ports Authority has been trying for several years to replace its aging cruise terminal near the City Market with a new facility at the north end of Union Pier.

The latest concept was unveiled in early 2010 but has been delayed by lawsuits.

In February 2013, project opponents asked the Administrative Law Court, which handles legal disputes involving state agencies, to revoke a construction permit that allowed pile-driving at the waterfront site. They said DHEC didn’t extensively review the issue beforehand, alleging that violated the S.C. Coastal Zone Management Act and the Coastal Management Program.

The SPA has said in a previous court filing that the lawsuit was “frivolous, lacked any reasonable or defensible grounds of support, and was filed solely for the purpose of delay.”

The terminal opponents are asking the appeals court to rule that they have legal standing to challenge the permits. They also are seeking to reverse an order that they pay the SPA about $9,300 for legal fees.

The groups challenging Anderson’s ruling are: the Preservation Society of Charleston; Historic Charleston Foundation; Historic Ansonborough Neighborhood Association; S.C. Coastal Conservation League; Charlestowne Neighborhood Association; Surfrider Foundation’s local chapter; and Charleston Communities for Cruise Control.

DHEC and the ports authority are named as the respondents in the appeal.

Contact John McDermott at 937-5572.

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