Leave ports to the State Ports Authority

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Both the SPA and Jasper County want to develop a port along the Savannah River at the South Carolina-Georgia border. The SPA has history and standing with the business community on its side. Furthermore, it has the legal authority to acquire the Georgia-owned site through eminent domain if that proves necessary. A recent state Supreme Court decision says Jasper County, which has entered a partnership with a private company, cannot acquire the property to benefit a private enterprise. There are no apparent advantages to breaking precedent to allow part of the state's port system to be privatized.

No region of this state depends on the port more than the Upstate. The multinational corporations here that export to the world depend heavily on our port system. Upstate counties account for 60 percent of the port's business. Manufacturers such as Michelin and BMW are in South Carolina partly because the port provides them a low-cost, stable and efficient means to ship and receive finished products and raw materials. We can also add a growing number of distribution centers that have developed here in recent years and the rise in Asian exports that are reaching these shores. Clearly, the Upstate's dependence on the port is increasing, so this development will directly affect investment and job growth here.

The prudent move for South Carolina is to stick with its formula for success. Businesses are generally satisfied with the port and how it is run, evident in the unprecedented 10-year contract BMW signed with the SPA. Heavy exporters such as BMW have come to expect that the port system will continue to develop according to their needs. And they are loyal to the Ports Authority, a committed partner in economic development. Over the years the SPA has devoted tens of millions of dollars to infrastructure and land acquisition, the types of incentives our industrial economy is built upon.

A private company's resources likely would not be reinvested in South Carolina in the same manner. A private company is ultimately devoted to its shareholders and its bottom line, not this state's economy.

It's understandable why Jasper County and SSA Marine developed their public-private partnership. It would mean jobs for Jasper County, one of the state's least developed counties and one that is desperately in need of this sort of development anchor. Obviously, Seattle-based SSA Marine would surely make money. Existing and developing port capacity in South Carolina is likely to run out in less than 20 years.

The Jasper site is vital to the port system's long-term capacity needs. Jasper County will still get its jobs if SPA develops the site. And the state would still have a port system operating under a trusted public agency looking out for what's best for South Carolina, and that is in the best interests of all state residents.