Mark B. Kent, an interim appointee to the State Ports Authority, explains on this page today the comments he made during a recent Senate hearing that have put his Senate confirmation in jeopardy. The Senate Transportation Committee should give Mr. Kent another chance.

A split 6-6 vote kept Mr. Kent, a Greenville textile executive, from getting the committee's nod. Instead, it agreed to carry the nomination over for another day. Meanwhile, Sen. Larry Grooms of Bonneau has announced his determination to fight the confirmation. The senator told us he felt Mr. Kent's comments on retaining the port's Daniel Island property showed his insensitivity to Lowcountry environmental issues.

As noted earlier, we were surprised that the Daniel Island question was even raised during the hearing since the issue was settled by the Legislature several years ago when it decreed that port expansion be on the former Navy base. Most of the property purchased for a rail link in the Cainhoy area already has been sold and plans are being made for the best way to dispose of the former 1,300-acre port site on the island itself.

In our Monday editorial we urged Mr. Kent to respond to the concerns raised by Sen. Grooms and are pleased that he has done so. We had heard positive assessments of his service on the authority, particularly his commitment to overcoming hurdles raised by the Corps of Engineers on the Navy base property.

We believe he clearly understands that Daniel Island no longer is a viable port site and as a former member of the Board of Health and Environmental Control has more than a passing interest in the environment. Obviously, as a member of the SPA board he has a responsibility to consider the best interest of the state as a whole when he makes decisions. That is by no means inconsistent with being environmentally sensitive to issues involving the port's home base, or, as he notes in his letter, being concerned with quality-of-life issues in general.

Unless the Transportation Committee revisits Mr. Kent's nomination, it will die when the Legislature adjourns. The governor will then have to make a new interim appointment. That would mean Mr. Kent's education on port-related matters since he began serving last September would be for naught. At the least, the committee should put Mr. Kent's appointment back on its agenda when it meets again. Let's hope that happens before the session comes to an end.