Opponents Of Spaceport Planned Off Georgia Coast Lose Bid To Block Camden Plans

Georgia Recorder

January 20, 2022

A judge denied a request on Thursday to halt Camden County’s planned purchase of 4,000 acres for the Spaceport Camden launch site, effectively making moot a hoped-for referendum giving voters a say.

Camden County Superior Court Judge Stephen Scarlett denied the permanent injunction request, which means county officials can complete an agreement with Union Carbide to buy the former industrial property where an environmental covenant restricts use of part of the land. Scarlett criticized the timing of the injunction request and petition, filed days before the Spaceport operator’s license was approved by the Federal Aviation Administration on Dec. 20.

“Camden County is obviously pleased with Judge Scarlett’s decision and we will continue on our mission to make Camden County the premiere small launch location in the United States,” said project spokesman John Simpson.

Environmental groups and residents who objected to the project were aware of the county’s plans long before the FAA issued a license and the county spent $10.3 million – 3% of its budget – to meet federal regulations, the judge wrote in his order.

The county’s hefty investment outweighs potential safety threats from rocket launches, Scarlett wrote.

“Because plaintiffs waited until the 11th hour to exercise their rights and seek the legal remedy afforded them, they now need an injunction to ensure those rights are not lost,” Scarlett wrote. “In this case, the court struggles with the knowledge that plaintiffs have been aware of the (commission’s) intentions for this property since at least 2015.”

The Camden probate court has 60 days from the Dec. 14 petition filing to verify signatures, which could trigger a special election. The petition argues that local residents should be protected from a runaway county government’s unsustainable and dangerous plan to launch rockets off the Georgia coast.

But with the injunction denied, the referendum would come too late to block the purchase if the county already owns the land, said Megan Desrosiers, CEO and president of coastal conservation organization One Hundred Miles.

County officials are banking on the spaceport becoming an economic engine for the region, bringing in new jobs tied to the growing commercial aerospace industry. But critics are wary of the projected boom the spaceport could generate.

Many Camden County residents and environmentalists warn of the damage falling rockets could cause at the nearby Little Cumberland Island, Cumberland Island National Seashore, beaches, marshes and waterways.

The FAA license allows up to 12 small rocket launches a year at Spaceport Camden. Each launch will be reviewed separately by federal and state agencies and will require its own approval.

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