Jasper port on hold

October 14, 2026

Good morning! We have surprising port news today that’s not about harbor deepening. We follow with a report on a long-running Coastal Georgia research effort that puts volunteers to work for sea turtles. And we wind it up with how protections are dwindling for iconic Coastal  Georgia species including right whales and red-cockaded woodpeckers.

Questions, tips or concerns? Send me a note at mary.landers@thecurrentga.org 

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NEWS: BUSINESS

Jasper port plans punted

After spending $20 million in planning over much of this century, South Carolina and Georgia quietly sidelined the idea of a new port in Jasper County. Port authorities for each state agreed in May to stand down efforts for the Jasper Ocean Terminal, according to a recently uncovered agreement, as David Wren of the SC Daily Gazette reports.  The two port authorities cite a need to focus on core business interests amidst post-pandemic disruptions. The Jasper port, which would have cost an estimated $50 billion to build out,  promised shippers a short trip up the Savannah River compared to the existing Savannah port, but also faced the security challenges of sitting directly across the river from the Elba Island liquefied natural gas facility.  

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FEATURE: ENVIRONMENT

Ecotourism on Wassaw

For over fifty years, researchers and volunteers have patrolled Wassaw Island’s beaches all night during nesting season to tag loggerhead sea turtles and protect their offspring. In fact, the Caretta Research Project is one of the longest continuously running sea turtle research and protection organizations in the United States. The Current GA’s visual journalist Justin Taylor documented Caretta’s effort on a warm, busy night in July as the nesting season waned and the hatching season began.

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ANALYSIS: ENVIRONMENT

Iconic species lose protections

The Trump administration recently redefined the terms ‘take’ and ‘harm’ within the Endangered Species Act, significantly weakening federal habitat protections, as Emily Jones of WABE/Grist reports. These regulatory shifts threaten iconic Georgia species such as the north Atlantic right whale, eastern hellbender, and red-cockaded woodpecker. While officials claim the changes prevent regulatory overreach, legal challenges from multiple states highlight concerns over the immediate survival of these at-risk animals.

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Also noted

• Tesla and Pilot Travel Centers opened six heavy duty electric charging units for semi trucks last week in Ellabell, as The Current GA’s Mary Landers reports. In other electric vehicle news, U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter co-introduced the Clean School Bus Reauthorization Act to extend the Clean School Bus Program with $5 billion over five years. So far, the program has funded more than 300 electric school buses in Georgia, including 45 in Carter’s Coastal Georgia congressional district.
• The Okefenokee Science Symposium — Everything you wanted to know about Okefenokee science but were afraid to ask —runs from 9 am – 5 pm, Friday, Oct. 16 at the College of Coastal Georgia in Brunswick. For more information and to register, click here. Organized by UGA and College of Coastal Georgia. 
• Join Georgians for the Okefenokee, Adamah ATL, and Georgia Interfaith Power and Light from 10 am – 3 pm, Saturday, Oct.17 at Okefenokee Adventures Boat Basin for Sabbath at the Swamp, a multifaith prayer service, catered lunch, and guided boat tour through the Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia’s first and only UNESCO World Heritage site. Tickets are $30 per person. Children 3 and under may attend free. More information here. 

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