COLUMBIA, S.C. — A nominee to the South Carolina Ports Authority board said he needs more information about the proposed Jasper Ocean Terminal before he will know whether it’s good for South Carolina.
On Wednesday the Review & Oversight Commission on the South Carolina Ports Authority gave nominee Robert Michael Sisk of Lexington, S.C., unanimous approval.
The vote came after Sen. Tom Davis asked him about the container port planned for Jasper County and how it might complement the Port of Charleston. Davis is a Beaufort County Republican and former ports board member who chaired the bi-state Jasper port negotiating committee.
“With respect to Jasper, I would like more facts,” said Sisk. “I’d like to know what the facts are and whether or not it looks like it’s the right thing to do or not before giving you a firm opinion at this point.”
But he said he would pursue the terminal’s development pursuant to the state law that charges the board with its duties. The Jasper Ocean Terminal is an estimated $5 billion bi-state port planned for South Carolina’s side of the Savannah River.
“It’s a little early for me to give you a firm opinion on how I view that,” said Sisk. “At this point for me to say it’s good or bad, obviously there are issues with the (Savannah) river and its depth that have a hand in whether or not that’s viable ... (which) need to be addressed.”
South Carolina officials have said Georgia’s plans to deepen the Savannah River to allow larger, post-Panamax vessels to access the Port of Savannah isn’t deep enough help ships that will eventually call at the Jasper port.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has approved the deepening of the river from 42 feet to 47 feet. But South Carolina officials have argue the modern standard is at least 50 feet deep.
South Carolina officials have also objected to the Georgia Ports Authority’s deepening plans, warning that it will put Georgia at a competitive advantage over South Carolina and that it harms the river environment.
Sisk’s nomination will go before the Senate Transportation Committee next, where Sen. Larry Grooms said, “there will be pointed questions about what he would do as a member.”
Republican Gov. Nikki Haley nominated Sisk to replace Karen Floyd on the 11-member board. Floyd, whose term expired last February, is the former chairman of the S.C. Republican Party.
Grooms, who chairs both the commission and the Senate Transportation Committee, said after the meeting that he was content with Sisk’s comments about the future Jasper Ocean Terminal. He said the six-member Joint Project Office board is focused on developing the shared port, but the S.C. Ports Authority is still responsible.
“If that strategy (JPO) is not panning out, they still have a duty to build a Jasper Ocean Terminal,” said Grooms. “They have a charge to make it happen.”
In 2011, some Beaufort County officials were concerned that the state ports board had lost its only Jasper port advocates when the governor replaced two local board members. Beaufort attorney Colden Battey Jr. was replaced by Pat McKinney of Kiawah Island, and S.C. State University football coach Willie Jeffries took the place of Doug Robertson of Bluffton.
During Wednesday’s commission meeting, Sen. Hugh Leatherman, R-31st District, asked Sisk if he thought the state’s ports should be privatized.
“As I stand right now, I would not necessarily favor that, but I have not been in those meetings,” said Sisk. “ As a private citizen I wouldn’t give any consideration to it. I would leave it as is.”