Spaceport announcement delay expected

Gordon Jackson, The Brunswick News, Ga.
·2 min read

Apr. 14—The Federal Aviation Administration's long-awaited decision about a spaceport license in Camden County will not be announced next week as originally scheduled.

The delay of more than two months is at the request of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, which is asking for more time to review the potential environmental impacts rocket launches could have to state-owned marsh and waters.

The DNR set a target date of April 11 to respond but is now asking the deadline to be extended to June 30.

Kevin Lang, an Athens lawyer whose family owns property on Little Cumberland Island, is not surprised DNR officials have asked for more time to analyze the public comments sent about the proposed spaceport.

"DNR received approximately 1,774 comments of which 1,758 were against the spaceport project receiving DNR's approval," Lang said. "Among these comments were over 20 very substantive comment letters that raise significant legal and policy issues for DNR to consider. I believe DNR needs time to analyze the comments before they make their decision."

The News did not independently verify the number of comments submitted in opposition to the proposed spaceport.

Opponents are concerned about rocket launch malfunctions potentially crashing or spreading debris on Cumberland or Little Cumberland islands, or in the environmentally sensitive saltwater marshes and waterways.

Supporters say a license would attract a launch operator and provide high-tech, high-paying jobs in Camden County.

The debate has been influenced by lobbyists hired by Camden County with taxpayer dollars, Lang said.

"This should not be a political decision as the decision turns on the intersection between the spaceport proposal and Georgia's laws protecting our coastal resources," Lang said. "If the decision is made on that basis, it is clear that DNR should withhold its concurrence."

The county has spent more than $800,000 on lobbyists to promote the spaceport project and generate the political support needed.

"A great deal of this spending has been devoted to trying to solve real problems with the spaceport proposal using uninformed politicians to put their thumbs on the scale," Lang said. "This is all starting to unwind on the commissioners."

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-1, who owns land near the site, has supported the project in Congress.