A controversy involving a proposed $83 million highway-bridge through a remote wetlands area has escalated into one of the state's most bruising political and environmental battles in years.

For two years, the 9-mile project has been the source of a simmering feud between the state's environmental community -- which opposes the bridge -- and Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., one of the state's most influential members of Congress. The bridge is one of his main projects.

But in recent weeks, the dispute has begun to reveal racial issues, power politics and potential national security matters.

Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., said last week in an interview he is against the bridge. It is rare for same-state members of Congress to oppose each other's projects.

"My greatest concern is the necessity -- it's a bridge to nowhere," said Wilson, questioning whether the bridge would be used enough to justify its cost. Wilson said he supports other Clyburn projects, but not this one.

Clyburn, who is black, reacted by saying the pre-civil rights days are long past. "This is no longer a black-white, master-servant relationship. I don't need his approval to do what I have to do."

Wilson is white.

Clyburn added, "It is paternalistic for him to tell me what's best for my district. My people tell me what's best ‘.‘.‘. Over 2,000 people have signed petitions in favor of this bridge. Who is he to say what's good for them?"

Wilson -- who represents the 2nd District -- just wants to make sure the bridge is needed, a spokesman said.

The proposed bridge, 40 miles south of Columbia, would be in Clyburn's 6th District. The bridge would be 2.8 miles long, with 6.2 miles of new road. The project would cut across a largely unspoiled area of rivers, swamps, forests and lakes touching Sumter, Clarendon and Calhoun counties.

In a March 5 letter to The (Sumter) Item, a daily newspaper, Clyburn said some environmentalists oppose improvements in black areas.

"Issues of race have prevented this bridge from being realized for more than 50 years," Clyburn wrote.

That brought a response this week from two S.C. environmentalists -- Dana Beach, of the S.C. Coastal Conservation League, and Angela Viney, S.C. Wildlife Federation executive director.

"Once again, Rep. Jim Clyburn has called people opposed to his bridge through the upper Santee swamp 'racist.' We reject this charge as a reckless statement that could stifle legitimate dissent," wrote Beach and Viney in their own letter to The Item.

They said environmentalists have worked for years to protect minorities from polluters.

Clyburn said the bridge would bring low-income, rural black areas closer to health care facilities and jobs.

The bridge will also help the very area where S.C. blacks filed the first desegregation lawsuit that led to the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision ending segregated public schools, Clyburn said. He wants to name the bridge after plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

A potential national security issue has also surfaced.

According to a letter that is part of a just-published state environmental study, the bridge could stimulate development so much that it might curtail use of the 12,700-acre Poinsett Range used by Shaw Air Force Base jets for bombing practice. The range is between the proposed bridge and Sumter.

"Shaw AFB cites this potential problem as part of our concern about the proposed bridge and its goal to open property for development purposes. Military training opportunities along the East Coast are confined to a limited number of ranges because of the uncontrolled growth of residential areas," said the letter from Shaw Air Force Base's Col. William Rew.

Clyburn downplayed the letter, saying Sumter County has zoned land around the bombing range in ways that will control development.

Jane Lareau, spokeswoman for the S.C. Coastal Conservation League, said it's ironic Sumter is now trying to limit development near the bridge.

"Clyburn wants to encourage development," Lareau said. "What you have is a Catch-22 and a waste of taxpayer money."

Sumter city and county officials generally oppose anything that might hurt the air base, which has a $248 million payroll, employs 6,700 military and civilians and accounts for one-third of the area's economy. Sumter officials don't oppose the bridge, but say they are watching developments.

The state's major environmental groups -- the Sierra Club, the S.C. Wildlife Federation and the Coastal Conservation League -- say the project will harm wildlife, despoil wetlands and ruin a state natural treasure.

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also oppose the project.

Clyburn said the bridge will have a minimum impact on the environment. The anticipated cost would have been millions cheaper, but the $83 million includes millions to protect the environment, he said.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, Clyburn sits on the powerful Appropriations Committee. In his position there, he has brought hundreds of millions of federal dollars into South Carolina for projects and road improvements. He said he hopes to cover the project's cost with federal money.

At least three steps remain before the bridge becomes reality:

• Congress must appropriate the money.

• The S.C. Department of Transportation must evaluate the just-finished environmental study and make a recommendation to build the bridge.

• The U.S. Federal Highway Administration must approve the project.

In the meantime, the dispute is being studied in an environmental law class at the University of South Carolina School of Law. Students representing fictional clients debate the bridge's pros and cons.

"This is one of those wonderful issues. It's very rich, with arguments on both sides," said professor Kim Diana Connolly, who has brought in supporters of each side to speak to students.

If the project continues, it might move out of the law school and into the courtroom.

Among those watching is the Southern Environmental Law Center -- a Chapel Hill, N.C., group that has in the past sued to stop projects it considers will harm the environment.

"All options remain on the table," said the Center's Blan Holman.