GREENVILLE, S.C. - The state's Heritage Trust Board has authoritized its staff to work out a deal to preserve the top of Sassafras Mountain, the state's highest peak at 3,560 feet.

Many residents fear that if the state doesn't buy the land, it could be sold to a private developer - as Duke and its subsidiaries have done along Lake Keowee and Highway 11.

The state wants to buy the two acres at the top of the mountain from Duke Energy.

"The main thing we don't know is what the owner will sell it for and what it would be worth on the market," said Tom Kohlsaat, the trust's director.

The property is one of three main tracts left out of the Jocassee Gorges purchase, which preserved 32,000 acres in northern Pickens and Oconee counties. About 5,000 acres on the North Carolina side of the mountain are owned by U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor, R-N.C. - a tree farmer who regularly receives the ire of environmental groups for his congressional voting record.

He bought the land 20 years ago from Champion International Paper Co. for $1.9 million.

Pickens County residents who frequent Sassafras have feared for years that Taylor would buy the two acres from Duke, allowing him to develop and close off access to the peak.

The state is in preliminary discussions, according to Mike Willis, a spokesman for the Department of Natural Resources.

Duke Energy would not comment on land sale negotiations, said spokesman Tim Pettit.

DNR staff will now study the site and prepare a report. Before the land can switch hands, five groups must endorse the deal including the Heritage Trust board, the full DNR board, the Budget and Control Board, the Joint Bond Review Committee and the Legislature.

Gov. Mark Sanford has insisted that public money not be used to purchase the land during lean budget times, but spokesman Will Folks said the governor supports purchasing the land with private money.

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Information from: The Greenville News, http://www.greenvillenews.com/