(The Center Square) — The federal government and the state of Georgia are funding a $7.6 million project to return a tributary of the Satilla River to its natural course.
It’s a milestone in Camden County’s quest towards a commercial spaceport that has been plagued by opposition from environmental groups and owners of property on Little Cumberland Island, which lies beneath the proposed rocket trajectories. More than 3,000 county residents have signed a petition to force a referendum on the project, which county officials have pushed as an economic development opportunity.
After nearly a decade since Camden first began contemplating a spaceport, the FAA is expected to decide this month whether to grant the county spaceport operator license. (All actual rocket launches would require additional licenses from the agency.)