Jasper County officials have asked Gov. Mark Sanford to meet with them over concerns that the S.C. State Ports Authority is "undermining" the county's efforts to develop a Savannah River shipping terminal.

The Carolina Morning News reported on Saturday that the ports authority is "requesting expressions of interest" from nearly 36 shipping companies and marine terminal operators for port expansion projects in Charleston and Jasper County.

Jasper County officials, including County Council Chairman George Hood and County Administrator Andrew Fulghum, immediately condemned the ports authority's initiative.

Tuesday, county officials said they faxed and hand-delivered a letter to Sanford seeking the governor's intervention.

"We are appealing to the governor to take a position on this issue," Fulghum said.

Hood writes in the letter to Sanford that "there is no other issue as critical to our county and probably the entire Lowcountry of our state as the timely development of" the marine terminal.

Jasper County wants to build a $450 million container cargo terminal on land the state of Georgia owns on the South Carolina side of the Savannah River.

The county has filed legal papers to condemn the site after Georgia turned down offers to sell. The S.C. State Ports Authority is asking the Supreme Court to block Jasper County's attempt to develop the marine terminal.

Jasper County has a contract with SSA Marine in which the private company will loan Jasper County the money to develop the terminal. The Seattle-based company then would manage the county-owned terminal.

"For over a decade, Jasper County has pursued the creation of such a terminal," Hood writes in the letter to Sanford.

"We have studied this matter in great detail, faced numerous critics, recruited supporters and now as we are on the threshold of securing an economic future for our county ... we are being undermined by the S.C. State Ports Authority."

Sanford spokesman Will Folks on Tuesday afternoon would neither confirm nor deny the governor had received Hood's letter.

"The governor's senior staff has met with and will continue to meet with all interested parties on the Jasper port situation," Folks said.

Asked if the governor will meet specifically with Jasper County officials, Folks said, "We'll be more than happy to meet with them."

Ports authority officials said after firms get the agency's request for interest, discussions with the firms will follow.

State Sen. Clementa Pinckney, D-Ridgeland, said the Jasper County marine terminal and the State Ports Authority situation has come to the boiling point.

"That was a bit bold and a little disturbing, when we already have (a private-public) proposal in hand," Pinckney said of the ports authority's announcement Friday.

"I hope by the end of the day we can have a political solution" to the fight between the ports authority and Jasper County. "But I'm still upset ... that at this stage of the game, the ports authority is doing this. It's a very aggressive move on their part."

Pinckney said he hopes Jasper County's initiative appeals to the governor's calls for more private investment in South Carolina.

"We talk about economic development ... and we have a private company that is willing to invest millions of dollars in Jasper County and South Carolina," Pinckney said.

Pinckney said he plans to stand at the Senate podium between 10 and 11 a.m. today to address the Jasper port situation.

Jasper County officials, too, are trying to appeal to the governor.

"If you meet with us once, this is the time and issue," Hood writes in the letter to Sanford.

Sanford appoints members to the board of directors that oversees the State Ports Authority, and Hood infers in the letter that "it appears that the intent of the newer members of the SPA (board) is to divert (Jasper County's) economic future."

Instead of receiving support for its efforts to develop a deepwater container cargo terminal with private funding, Jasper County has "received only the back of a hand repeatedly from the S.C. State Ports Authority," Hood writes in an opinion piece to the Carolina Morning News.

Jasper County's marine terminal plans - designed by SSA Marine - call for a first-phase construction of four ship berths, eight container cargo cranes, 200 to 400 acres of cargo storage and parking space, nine miles of access roads and equipment and gates, all for between $400 million and $450 million.

SPA spokesman Byron Miller said there was "no board action required" for sending out the requests for expression of interests. He said the board's Jan. 18 resolution that included the SPA's intention to seek the marine terminal site in Jasper County also included "all such other steps," which paved the way to seeking private enterprise participation.

Also, Miller said Jasper County's contention that the ports authority hasn't been interested in a Jasper County port until recently is false.

He said SPA officials asked county officials to delay further action on the marine terminal initiative in February 2004 because the state agency was studying what it could do.

In March 2004, then-county attorney Tom Johnson told County Council members he hadn't heard anything more from the SPA and he recommended the county proceed with plans to establish its own local port authority.

Also, Miller said the SPA licenses space on terminals to cargo ship owners.

"When it comes to our container terminals, the SPA does not currently 'lease to private operators,'" he said.

"We don't lease terminals because we're an operating port," Miller said. "The SPA public, non-union employees man all container lifting equipment. We also run some of the interchange lanes with our employees and perform other valued-added services," such as warehousing and information technology.

He said the request for expressions of interest the SPA "sent out does not specify any operating restrictions (or) requirements. It is very broad and is designed to open the door to discussions."

Reporter Mark Kreuzwieser may be reached at 837-5255 or mark.kreuzwieser@lowcountrynow.com