This Jasper County project would be huge. Officials say it could still be 20 years away.
A much-anticipated Jasper County port project supporters say would be an economic boon for one of South Carolina's poorest areas might not be needed for almost 20 years, Georgia and South Carolina port officials said Wednesday.
The initial phase of the Jasper Ocean Terminal will be needed in 2035-2037, according to the "best joint assessment" of the states' port authorities, an S.C. Ports Authority news release said after the board overseeing the project met Wednesday morning.
That timeline matches the updated schedule state port officials provided in February, angering lawmakers who point to a legislative mandate that the Jasper project be developed in a timely manner. The newest timetable is a decade later than supporters of the $5 billion project had expected.
State Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, criticized the S.C. State Ports Authority in a speech on the Senate floor Tuesday for what he said were attempts to sabotage the Jasper Ocean Terminal and redirect $5 million for Jasper permitting in the upcoming budget to a Charleston port deepening project.
"Here's why they're doing it — they realize it's getting too close to a reality.," he said. "They realize that the permitting process is moving forward. They realize that port site is more advantageous than either Savannah or Charleston in that there are no height or depth restrictions in regards to this port."
The Jasper project board agreed Wednesday the priority for the upcoming fiscal year "will be to examine the infrastructure investments required to link the site to both road and rail," according to the release.
Jim Newsome, head of the S.C. Ports Authority', told lawmakers last month the Jasper port won't be needed until after a new North Charleston terminal is finished in 2032 and capacity is reached in existing Charleston and Georgia ports, where port officials say millions more additional containers might fit.
"Both Georgia and South Carolina continue to assess available capacity on their existing and planned terminal footprints," Joel Wooten, Jasper Ocean Terminal Joint Project Office chairman and Georgia Ports Authority board member, said in a statement.
Newsome is expected to attend a public event about the port in Jasper County on Thursday.
State Sen. Margie Bright Matthews will host a town hall event at the Clementa Pinckney Jasper County Government Building in Ridgeland at 6 p.m. Thursday. The event is billed as a chance to hear an update on the port, to share community concerns and have questions answered.
A panel will include Newsome, Southern Carolina Regional Development Alliance CEO and President Danny Black and Bobby Hitt, head of the state Department of Commerce, according to an event release.
This story was originally published March 21, 2018 at 4:44 PM with the headline "This Jasper County project would be huge. Officials say it could still be 20 years away.."