Not Worth the Risk
Even if everything goes as planned at Spaceport Camden and launches are successful, on average we can expect 2-3 “launch events” per month. These will cause noise, light, air emissions that may include odor, vibration, and closures that will be noticed on Cumberland Island. Under a worse but predictable scenario, rocket launches at Spaceport Camden will fail. These failures usually occur within the first few minutes of the launch. Rocket failures that occur over Cumberland Island may cause falling debris, chemical spills, and fire. Due to the remote location of Cumberland Island, it is unlikely that pollution or a fire would be contained before causing massive damage to property, wildlife, and habitat—some of which would be irreversible.
We’re working to stop this dangerous project.
One Hundred Miles has been working since 2017 to prevent Spaceport Camden from launching rockets over our coast. We have built a network of thousands of concerned citizens and partnered with dozens of partner organizations to ensure robust civic discourse informs local, state, and federal decision-making regarding the project. In 2018, OHM staff was appointed by County Commissioners to sit on the Spaceport Camden Environmental Subcommittee. This body worked for the better part of a year to prepare comments for the project’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
Over the years, our work to understand the facts about how spaceports operate in and impact other US communities and to seek more specific information about Spaceport Camden has run into roadblocks in Camden County. In 2019, the Southern Environmental Law Center filed a lawsuit on our behalf against the county for withholding information about the spaceport. Today, we continue to engage the public on this issue. In addition to encouraging concerned citizens to send in comments on the Consistency Certification, we are helping the Taxpayers Against Camden Spaceport obtain signatures on a petition that we hope will trigger a referendum on Camden County’s decision to purchase the site where Spaceport Camden will be located.
You can help.
Today, there are two actions you can take to communicate your opposition to Spaceport Camden.
- Write a letter to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division (CRD) in opposition to the project. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has asked CRD to determine if Spaceport Camden is consistent with the Georgia policies and laws CRD uses to help manage coastal resources. From the threat to the salt marsh posed by launch failures to the fishery closures that would be required to accommodate launches, to the noise, light, and pollution that would negatively impact our threatened and endangered species, it is clear that Spaceport Camden’s operations are inconsistent with the many laws that protect our coast.
To send your letter to CRD, click on the link that best applies to you:
2. Sign our petition! The site of Spaceport Camden is still owned by a private company. Although Camden County has an option to buy part of it, there are still many issues associated with the property that need to be address—namely, that the site is heavily contaminated with toxic waste. If Camden County purchases the property, its taxpayers will be on the hook for the massively expensive cleanup that will be required. One Hundred Miles is helping Taxpayers Against Camden Spaceport circulate a petition to get the signatures of 10% of the registered voters in Camden County. Once we reach this milestone, the petition will be certified by a judge who will call for a referendum on Camden County’s purchase of the property. It is our hope that the voters will repeal the Commissioners’ decision.
Click here to print, sign, and return the petition by mail.
“Spaceport Camden is a boondoggle—one that will cost taxpayers millions of dollars and prevent safe, reliable access to recreational and commercial fisheries and Cumberland Island National Seashore. Join us in speaking out to stop this ill-conceived project.”
Contact Megan for more information about our efforts to protect our coast from Spaceport Camden.