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Coastal county in Georgia still moving ahead with a spaceport that voters rejected

Spaceport Georgia
Posted at 1:49 PM, Apr 14, 2022
and last updated 2022-04-14 15:50:43-04

Officials in a Georgia county say they're moving ahead with plans to build a launchpad for commercial rockets barely a month after residents voted to halt the project by a margin of nearly 3-to-1.

Commissioners in coastal Camden County said in a statement Thursday that they have approved purchasing 4,000 acres for the proposed Spaceport Camden. Camden County has spent a decade and more than $10 million pursuing the spaceport, promising economic growth by blasting satellites into orbit.

This artist's sketch provided by Spaceport Camden shows the launch pad complex of the proposed Spaceport Camden in Camden County, Ga. Officials in a Georgia county say they're moving ahead with plans to build a launch pad for commercial rockets barely a month after residents voted to halt the project by a margin of nearly 3-to-1. Commissioners in coastal Camden County said in a statement Thursday, April 14, 2022, they have approved purchasing 4,000 acres for the proposed Spaceport Camden. (Spaceport Camden via AP)

Critics argue the project has serious safety and environmental risks. Commissioners are asking the Georgia Supreme Court to declare the referendum invalid.

James Goodman, a spaceport critic and a city councilman in the Camden County community of St. Marys said in early March, “Right now they are guilty of ignoring the will of the voters.” Goodman said, “What they will do if they persist is to demonstrate utter contempt for the voters.”