DaimlerChrysler says no decision on location of plant

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Posted 2:15PM on Tuesday, October 8, 2002

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Amid reports that DaimlerChrysler is near to selecting a location for a prized $700 million van plant, a DaimlerChrysler spokesman said Tuesday that no decision has been made. The spokesman, who talked with The Associated Press in Germany on the condition of anonymity, refused to comment on when such a decision would be made or to confirm reports company officials met to discuss the issue Tuesday. South Carolina and Georgia are seeking the plant, although company officials have not said what sites it is considering for a new plant to build Sprinter vans. Sources close to the negotiations had said a decision could be made at the Tuesday meeting, although other sources suggested any decision will come later, The (Charleston) Post and Courier reported. On Monday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved a permit to fill 100 acres of wetlands on a site near Summerville said to be under consideration for the plant. A site near Savannah, Ga., is also vying for the plant. The South Carolina Coastal Conservation League withdrew its objections to the state approving that permit after Jim Morris, state Commerce Department chief of staff, informally agreed to pay for an extended environmental impact study on the entire 1,500-acre tract. "The concern they (Commerce) had was that if the appeal remained, it would send a message to DaimlerChrysler they were going to have local opposition. Clearly, there was some urgency," said Dana Beach, the executive director of the Coastal Conservation League. Before the federal permit can be issued, the state must first certify that the wetlands fill complies with state coastal regulations. The Coastal Conservation League withdrew its appeal of the state approval last week. The environmental group had appealed the state certification because the application didn't include a study of the effects of the industrial and residential development that would result from the plant, Beach said. The plant would sit along tributaries of Cypress Swamp, the headwaters of the Ashley River. Development is pressuring a 21-mile stretch of the river with several historic plantations. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has designated the area one of the 11 most endangered historic sites in the nation. "We saw the project as a recipe for eventual destruction" of the ecology of the swamp, Beach said. He said the promised study would give local governments options for planning the least damaging growth. Commerce Department marketing director Scott Derks said the agreement for the study reflected "both our desires to have quality planning critical to a project of this size." The proposed site is off Interstate 26 in Berkeley County just outside Summerville. An estimated 3,000 people would be employed by the plant. State and local officials and property owners involved in the negotiations have signed confidentiality agreements required by DaimlerChrysler, the newspaper reported.