SC

Jasper Port: A “Real Deal” Or More Lip Service?

ASSESSING THE LATEST “BI-STATE PARTNERSHIP” Lost in the cacophony surrounding S.C. governor Nikki Haley‘s ongoing “Refugee Kabuki” was a recent announcement that is – or should – be music to our hears.  After years of evasion, obfuscation and outright lying on the part of the state of South Carolina, plans are…

ASSESSING THE LATEST “BI-STATE PARTNERSHIP”

Lost in the cacophony surrounding S.C. governor Nikki Haley‘s ongoing “Refugee Kabuki” was a recent announcement that is – or should – be music to our hears.  After years of evasion, obfuscation and outright lying on the part of the state of South Carolina, plans are reportedly now in the works for the development of a deepwater port in Jasper County, S.C.

Curiously, the announcement was made not long after we published an article ripping the S.C. State Ports Authority (SCSPA) for continuing to drag its feet on the project.

Anyway, here are the specifics of the recently announced agreement …

The SCSPA and the Georgia Ports Authority (a.k.a. the Nikki Haley for Vice President committee) have reached a tentative agreement for the development of a $4.5 billion, 1,500 acre facility on the South Carolina side of the Savannah River.  The goal is to submit paperwork on the proposed facility to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prior to Thanksgiving – with the hopes that environmental impact studies can begin in earnest.

If all goes well, the first phase of the project – rumored to cost around $2 billion –  would open in 2030.

Port observers are skeptical about the deal … as they should be.

“I think the devil is in the details of this agreement,” one industry expert told us. ” My sense is that South Carolina and Georgia have agreed to basically put this on hold while they each seek to improve their competitive positions vis-a-vis their ongoing dredging projects. The problem with this approach is that this allows Savannah to maintain its land-side infrastructure advantages and spend its limited resources to draw even with Charleston on ‘useable depth,’ while Charleston spends money maintaining its advantage on unused depth rather than addressing the rail and road infrastructure bottleneck problems that put the SPA at a competitive disadvantage.”

Or you know … building monuments to politicians.

Lending credence to the “delay” theory?  The fact that it’s been eight years since former S.C. governor Mark Sanford reached a deal with former Georgia governor Sonny Perdue to enter into a bi-state compact on the Jasper terminal.

Seriously … it doesn’t take eight years just to arrive at the planning stage for a project like this.  Also, it’s been over a decade since port officials vowed to devote the “full faith and resources” of the state toward the Jasper project.

Observers are also skeptical of the cost estimates.

“Based on a review of construction costs for a number of other recently constructed facilities, both the total project cost and the cost of the first phase appear high,” one source told us. “Normally, the project costs are underestimated because the project sponsors want them to be green-lighted with the idea that once they get started they will become too big to fail.”

One example of this?  The ongoing government-funded Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP).

“In the case of the Jasper County Ocean Terminal, however, it appears that the costs of the project are being overestimated in order to discourage its supporters from pushing for its immediate completion,” the source added.

In other words the latest “announcement” could be nothing more than another payment of lip service to this vital project – which aims to leverage the competitive advantage of the last remaining deepwater port site on the Eastern Seaboard.

The long and short of the deal is this: South Carolina’s leaders have finally decided (we hope) to partner with Georgia on something they should have done decades ago on their own.  In other words we are belatedly sharing in something that should have already been ours.

Why didn’t they move sooner on the project?  Because wealthy special interests in Charleston, S.C. – which run the state’s port infrastructure – refused to support Jasper.  And then Haley sold the state down the river completely … with disastrous consequences.

Regarding the price tag for this project, one thing that might allay any concerns regarding its feasibility would be permitting private investment in its development.  In fact a pair of longtime Jasper port proponents – S.C. Senator Tom Davis of Beaufort and the late S.C. Senator Clementa Pinckney of Jasper – included language in a bi-state bill passed by lawmakers in 2009 encouraging SCSPA to explore private investment for the Jasper terminal.

“In connection with the development of a port in Jasper County, the authority shall make specific inquiries regarding the merits of using private capital to finance the construction of that port to a greater extent than historically has been used by the South Carolina State Ports Authority in connection with their existing port operations,” the bill stated.

Will they do so?

We’ll have to wait and see.  The permitting stage of this project – assuming both South Carolina and Georgia are serious this time – could take up to five years.  At that point the financing questions will come to the fore.

This website has been clear and unequivocal on this issue … for years.  South Carolina needs to leverage its competitive advantages using private investment, not taxpayer money.  While we favor state ownership of port infrastructure, it is clear that government management of these facilities has been a debacle – which is why the Jasper port hasn’t been built and why Charleston has seen its competitive position plummet.

***

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26 comments

John November 18, 2015 at 11:15 am

What were you saying about Governor Haley and lip service?

Reply
Will Folks aka Sic November 18, 2015 at 11:25 am

What? She’s good at it that’s for damn sure ;)

Reply
ted November 18, 2015 at 11:23 am

Impeachment.

Reply
Rocky Verdad November 18, 2015 at 11:26 am

2030? By then Brunswick, Jacksonville, Port Canaveral, Wilmington and Savannah will have doubled in size.

Reply
Philip Branton November 18, 2015 at 11:55 am

LOL…..Rocky…you have great informational vision…! Bravo….Bravo…!!

Reply
pogo November 18, 2015 at 1:00 pm

Rocky is counting those 15 million illegals and Syrian Muslim refugees that will never become citizens.

Reply
Grand Tango November 18, 2015 at 1:21 pm

Electing to attack Rocky Verdad only proves that he is sage and wise, like myself, I don’t agree with him on things, but I too, bear the cross of attacks from those who do not know the true and wisdom that is displayed. Rocky is a prophet, as am I. I can only say that in the end, you will have shit all over yourself and engage is gay sex.

Reply
the buzzedmaniac November 18, 2015 at 1:26 pm

Rocky took my online class called “Lies,Falsehoods and Fairy Tales for Liberals”.
He is an expert.

Grand Tango November 18, 2015 at 1:27 pm

You’re so right, as always. Flip is also a God, a man God who cannot be touched by men of this earth, or stained with the excrement of women.

Touched By An Angel November 18, 2015 at 1:38 pm

He can touch other people, though. Wouldn’t want him near my kid’s daycare.

stumpknocker November 18, 2015 at 1:41 pm

That was funny.

pogo November 18, 2015 at 12:21 pm

I thought you were on edge.Oh my.Hillary LOSING to EVERY Republican in COLORADO and FLORIDA! What did you say about FLORIDA?

Obama is -11 on disapproval.
RCP
Colorado: Trump vs. ClintonQuinnipiacTrump 48, Clinton 37Trump +11Colorado: Carson vs. ClintonQuinnipiacCarson 52, Clinton 38Carson +14Colorado: Rubio vs. ClintonQuinnipiacRubio 52, Clinton 36Rubio +16Colorado: Cruz vs. ClintonQuinnipiacCruz 51, Clinton 38Cruz +13Florida: Trump vs. ClintonFlorida Atlantic UniversityTrump 49, Clinton 41Trump +8Florida: Carson vs. ClintonFlorida Atlantic UniversityCarson 50, Clinton 41Carson +9Florida: Rubio vs. ClintonFlorida Atlantic UniversityRubio 50, Clinton 43Rubio +7Florida: Bush vs. ClintonFlorida Atlantic UniversityBush 44, Clinton 40Bush +4Florida: Cruz vs. ClintonFlorida Atlantic UniversityClinton 45, Cruz 48Cruz +3Colorado: Trump vs. SandersQuinnipiacTrump 46, Sanders 44Trump +2Colorado: Carson vs. SandersQuinnipiacCarson 52, Sanders 40Carson +12Colorado: Rubio vs. SandersQuinnipiacRubio 52, Sanders 39Rubio +13Colorado: Cruz vs. SandersQuinnipiacCruz 49, Sanders 42Cruz +7President Obama Job ApprovalRasmussen ReportsApprove 44, Disapprove 55Disapprove +11

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Rocky Verdad November 18, 2015 at 1:19 pm

That’s nice Tango – we’re talking about ports.

Reply
pogo November 18, 2015 at 1:21 pm

Oh.I thought we were talking about landslides. Might fault.

Reply
Bible Thumper November 18, 2015 at 11:50 am

Sell Santee – Cooper, use proceeds to build the port.

Reply
pogo November 18, 2015 at 12:32 pm

Thumper, Will is talking bout your gal below. :)

Reply
Bible Thumper November 18, 2015 at 12:42 pm

He might be right, but he wouldn’t know anything about that.

Reply
pogo November 18, 2015 at 12:58 pm

lol….

Reply
The Buzzman November 18, 2015 at 3:39 pm

Would you?

Reply
Bible Thumper November 23, 2015 at 5:42 pm

That’s one of differences between me and Will. I would never tell.

Bible Thumper November 23, 2015 at 5:43 pm

That’s one of differences between me and Will. I would never tell.
OR LIE ABOUT IT!

pogo November 18, 2015 at 11:53 am

I love it when GrandTango pays me lip service, wink wink! LMAO!!!

Reply
Grand Tango November 18, 2015 at 1:53 pm

And I make a great chicken soup.

Reply
Septic Saluda November 18, 2015 at 6:15 pm

“And then Haley sold the state down the river completely”

It took the total connivance of the man who has also been in charge of the DHEC dam ‘safety” program and the one who tried to repermit the ever-leaking sewer plant on the Saluda River. The “man behind the fetid curtain” who is always unnamed.

Reply
Denozitall November 19, 2015 at 6:23 am

It’ a great day in South Carolina!

Reply
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