Judge weighs pausing Georgia spaceport land deal for voters

By RUSS BYNUM
Associated Press

WOODBINE, Ga. (AP) — A judge is weighing whether a Georgia county can move ahead with buying land for a commercial spaceport or must first give voters a shot at a special election to approve the deal. Coastal Camden County won a Federal Aviation Administration license last month to build a private launchpad. Opponents who say the project poses financial and environmental risks are trying to defeat it at the ballot box. A petition with more than 3,800 signatures was filed in December seeking a March referendum on the county’s planned land purchase. Attorneys for two opponents asked a judge Tuesday to block the land deal until the special election gets held or is denied. County officials say a delay could kill a project on which they’ve already spent $10.3 million.