New energy bills

One bill introduced last week was the highly anticipated energy reform package from Senator Tom Davis (Beaufort). Senator Davis’ bill (S.909) is an omnibus form of legislation that weaves together a host of proposed changes to the way our electric systems generate and deliver power. This bill seems to be an answer to some of the questions brought up during months of hearings for the Electricity Market Reform Study Committee, and builds on ideas proposed by Spartanburg Senator Scott Talley’s Energy Independence and Risk Reduction Act (S.779) last May.

It also contains several proposals that warrant substantial discussion among clean energy advocates, utilities, ratepayers and lawmakers. There are ways to ensure South Carolinians receive power in the most efficient, clean, and affordable manner possible without sidestepping private property rights or basic environmental protections. We look forward to having those discussions in the coming weeks.

Senator Davis also introduced a resolution (S.912) to create a permanent office within the Department of Commerce to coordinate activities related to the SC Nexus, a recently designated “innovation hub” by the US Department of Commerce. The aim of the SC Nexus project, supported by this Senate Resolution, is to position SC as a leader in the development of distributed energy resources and burgeoning technologies like small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs).

Two new senators

Last Tuesday, the Senate welcomed two new members who won special elections to fill seats left by the tragic passing of Senator John Scott (Columbia) in August and the resignation of Senator Marlon Kimpson (Charleston). Former Columbia City Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine was sworn in Tuesday as the first female senator of District 19 and the sixth female state senator. She was joined by former Representative Deon Tedder, who was sworn in as the youngest member of the South Carolina Senate.

We were pleased to see that on day one Senator Tedder introduced an inclusionary zoning bill (S.891) to increase the availability of affordable housing. With their collective history of public service, we look forward to working with the new senators to protect South Carolina’s natural resources and communities.

Budget committees get to work

Now is the time of year when lawmakers focus on drafting the State Budget for the next fiscal year, and the House Ways and Means Committee is responsible for initiating that process. Over the next few weeks, subcommittees will hear from state agencies on their general budget requests before developing the House version of an appropriations bill by the end of February.

Last week, the SC Office of Resilience presented its budget request of $4.2 million in additional recurring funds and $43 million in one-time funds for infrastructure and resilience projects. Chief Resilience Officer, Ben Duncan, spoke to lawmakers – and a full committee room – about the common issues between city/county planning and the flood risks that come from changing hydrology in intensive development.

Join us: Conversations with Conservationists Senate Briefing

Wednesday, January 17th at 10:00 am

Tuesday (1/16) at 2 pm: The Working Agricultural Lands Preservation Act (H.3951) we talked about last week is getting a hearing in the Senate Finance Sales and Income Tax Subcommittee. If you live in one of the subcommittee members’ districts, like Senator Tom Corbin (Travelers Rest) or Senator Ross Turner (Greenville), you can encourage them to support this bill. Watch the hearing here.

Tuesday (1/16), 1.5 hours after the House adjourns: The Public Service Commission and the Office of Regulatory Staff, both responsible for utility regulation, will present their budgets to a Ways and Means subcommittee. You can watch that hearing here.