Jasper Port
Bill Bethea spoke to the Bluffton Rotary on December 5, 2007 concerning the
The task force completed it study in October of this year and on November 9, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford and Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue unveiled the bi-state plan to develop the new port. The two ports authorities will fund a Joint Project Office with $6 million initially, in addition to the $7 million to pay for the land, which is currently owned by the Georgia Department of Transportation. The Joint Project Office will be manned by two appointees selected by each of the authorities, the Executive Directors of each authority and one appointee selected by each Governor.
There are several benchmarks for the continuing study of the bi-state port: 180 days for the Georgia Department of Transportation to turn the $7 million site over to the two ports authorities; two years to complete all feasibility studies and development planning; and no longer than four years to complete an interstate compact to create a new entity that will run the port. Both state legislatures must approve the plan, as must, eventually, the United States Congress.
As far as potential timing, Mr. Bethea referred to the conversion of the Charleston Naval Facility to a port, which took ten years. He estimates it will take at least that long to navigate the
Construction and eventual operation of the