The State Ports Authority, hoping to block plans to build a private shipping terminal along the Savannah River in Jasper County, announced its own plans Tuesday for a new port facility there.

Jasper County officials greeted the news with surprise and disappointment, while one of the state's most powerful lawmakers questioned whether the SPA was acting too hastily.

The SPA board voted that if it can't acquire the property, it will condemn about 1,800 acres of the sought-after land in Jasper County.

The ports authority also said it plans to file a lawsuit asking the state Supreme Court to give it sole authority to develop a seaport on the S.C. side of the Savannah River.

Both actions would thwart Jasper County's attempts to develop its own port on the river, one that would be funded and run by a private corporation, SSA Marine.

"The powers of condemnation exist for the public good, for all the public's good," said SPA chairman Harry Butler. "We have to make sure all the people of the state of South Carolina will benefit from a port. ... We have a different role to play (than private entities), to facilitate and develop the state's economy, not just to make a profit."

The nine-member SPA board voted unanimously Tuesday to move forward with the lawsuit and, if necessary, with the condemnation proceedings.

The board said it has been in discussions with the state of Georgia since last month about how else it might acquire the property.

The land in Jasper County has been owned by the Georgia Department of Transportation for almost two decades. It has been used as a dump site for dredged materials taken from Savannah Harbor but has been touted for years as the best potential site for a new deep-water port in the Southeast.

Jasper County officials earlier this month offered the Georgia Department of Transportation $9.2 million for the same plot of land, and intended to condemn it themselves if their offer was rejected. They have an agreement with SSA Marine in which the private developer would pay for land acquisition and construction of the estimated $500 million terminal. The county would retain ownership of the land.

The SPA's action Tuesday was a new development in the ongoing fight for the right to develop the site, a battle that's been brewing since at least 2000.

Jasper County officials have been calling since then for some type of port development in their economically depressed county, where a new terminal would provide an estimated 5,000 jobs and pump billions of dollars into the economy each year.

They've long criticized the SPA for failing to take advantage of the land, which could provide space for as many as 11 berths for cargo ships to dock.

"I would love to know why they acted so hastily, since we have just taken action," Jasper County Council Chairman George Hood said Tuesday. "None of that information has come forth before now. It seems like with them knowing that we were working on it, there would have been some communication with the county."

SPA board member Tom Davis, a former staffer for Gov. Mark Sanford and the governor's newest appointee to the ports board, proposed the Jasper County resolution. He said Jasper County officials should be commended for their work to initiate port development but that the SPA should spearhead the project from this point forward.

"They have been eager to develop a better quality of life for their people and they have that responsibility," Davis said. "But the SPA must make sure our actions benefit all the people (of South Carolina)."

Butler said the ports authority would consider partnering with private companies and the state of Georgia to make a Jasper County port a reality.

With both the land-strapped Port of Charleston and the Port of Savannah competing to get the lion's share of booming trade through the region, the land could be vital for ports to keep up with cargo flow.

Robert Morris, spokesman for the Georgia Ports Authority, said that while the state would be looking for ways to accommodate the growth of international trade, the Jasper County site already serves the state in other ways.

"We have expressed to the South Carolina Ports Authority that we honor our agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which clearly states the Jasper property will be used to help maintain the Savannah River's navigation channel," Morris said. "This is the current purpose of the land and we plan to follow the law and our obligation."

Jasper County officials said the SPA hasn't informed them of its plans for a new state-run terminal in their county. They said they will move ahead with their own plan to condemn the land and develop a privately funded terminal.

The county has already been to court over previous condemnation attempts to get the site out of Georgia's hands, and project leaders said last week they expect the development process to be a long one.

"We have heard nothing from officials from the ports authority and we know of no reason why we should not proceed," Jasper County administrator Andrew Fulghum said Tuesday. "I think their actions are predictable and a little sad."

Butler said expansion in the Charleston area, and specifically the failed plan to develop a terminal on Daniel Island, had kept the SPA from moving forward until now on a new terminal in Jasper County.

SPA board members also were quick to point out Tuesday that while they're now "committed" to the new project in Jasper County, it won't take priority over development of a proposed public port at the former Navy Base in North Charleston.

Rep. Bobby Harrell, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said he fears the SPA's move might set a bad precedent for the state of South Carolina.

"That's territory I don't know we've ever been in before," Harrell said Tuesday. "It causes me concern about the state condemning land to keep a county from developing it. There should be a lot of conversation about what the state's philosophy should be on that.

"I want to hear from them what they're thinking, but my initial reaction is one of very grave concern," Harrell said. "I would hope they'd take time to meet with the legislators and the governor before going ahead."

Will Folks, the governor's spokesman, said he didn't know whether SPA officials had spoken to the governor on the issue but that Sanford supports the notion of a private-public partnership in the project.

Jasper County had given the Georgia Department of Transportation until Thursday to accept or decline its $9.2 million offer on the proposed port property before the county would start condemnation proceedings. As of Tuesday afternoon, the state had not responded to the offer.

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