Legislative Updates 2025

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Legislative Updates 2025 - Week 1: January 13 - 17

Highlights:

Conservation Senate Briefing — a look at the Conservation Coalition's priorities
SC Energy Security Act 2.0
What to expect this week

Welcome Back!

If the first week of the 2025 Legislative Session is any indication of how the following 17 weeks will unfold, we’re in for a demanding — but hopefully rewarding — season ahead. In the midst of budget hearings and controversial bill debates — yes, already — residents and advocates showed up in force for conservation and testimony on the SC Energy Security Act (H.3309).

Read below for a rundown of the happenings from last week and what to expect this week.

As co-chair of the Conservation Coalition's steering committee, Michael Coleman delivered opening remarks to Senators

Senate Briefing Recap — the conservation community presents shared priorities

The annual SC Conservation Coalition Senate Briefing — what lawmakers affectionately dub the “Conversation with Conservationists” as an exercise in verbal gymnastics — was held last Wednesday. Upstate Forever’s own Michael Coleman opened the event with remarks centering on the opportunities for our state and providing real-world examples of how the Senate’s action on our 2024 priorities has led to the protection of vital agricultural resources, including in Greenville County.

With 13 Senators and over 60 in the audience, the SC Conservation Coalition presented our 2025 legislative priorities:

Support a clean energy transition with energy efficiency, common-sense regulatory protections, and modern solutions for our growing energy needs in the SC Energy Security Act (H.3309).

Ensure we have clean, abundant water as stakeholders in the WaterSC task force and by placing signs next to outfalls that discharge pollutants into waterways (S.139 — Outfall Signage).

Preserve South Carolina’s natural heritage through wetlands protections and rural character through local land management tools like Transferrable Development Rights and Concurrency programs (S.227).

We’ll explore each of these issues in the weeks ahead. Thank you to everyone who invited their Senator, who traveled to Columbia for the event, or who watched online!

Missed the briefing? You can view the recording through the SC Statehouse website’s video archives, scroll to Wednesday, January 15 at 10 am — “Conversations with Conservationists.”

Consider following up with Senators with topics that interest you from the briefing, and don’t forget to thank them!

SC Energy Security Act 2.0

As many of us rushed from the Conservation Senate Briefing to the House Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee hearing on the SC Energy Security Act (H.3309) last Wednesday morning, I felt a visceral sense of déjà vu. Hours of testimony were heard from energy utilities on the bill's merits, while advocates and residents from across the state voiced their concerns about impacts on ratepayers’ pocketbooks, private property rights, and other risks to communities throughout the state.

While the bill remains largely unchanged from the version of H.5118 that passed out of the House last year, we are hopeful that diligent communication with members of the LCI Committee and other lawmakers will produce amendments that result in a more productive bill for all.

Read here for a primer on some of the issues that were present in the bill in 2024 and stay tuned for updated assessments as the committee work progresses.

I encourage you to watch the hearing — even just a few minutes — to hear compelling testimony. One resident from Spartanburg County spoke about issues related to community input and communication with utilities on a transmission project in his neighborhood. You can watch the recording here, scroll down to Wednesday, 1/15 at 11:00 am — LCI Public Utilities Subcommittee.

The Week Ahead

Wednesday, 1/22 at 12 pm — a Senate Judiciary subcommittee will meet to consider utility financing for Hurricane Helene recovery, as well as a bill that authorizes Santee Cooper to enter into agreements with investor-owned utilities like Dominion Energy to build new energy generation, and a bill that requires Santee Cooper to issue an RFP to solicit private financing for buildout of the abandoned units at VC Summer. These are wild times, indeed. You can watch that hearing here.

Wednesday, 1/22 at 1 pm — the Senate Special Committee on Energy will reconvene to receive public testimony on solutions for large energy users, which have been the driving force behind calls for natural gas buildout throughout the Southeast. You can watch that hearing here.

Thursday, 1/23 at 11:15 am — a newly formed Surface Water Study Committee will meet to hear from the Department of Environmental Services and progress from the WaterSC task force. As a member of this task force, Upstate Forever has been working alongside stakeholders to discuss solutions to issues related to surface water flows and withdrawals. Stay tuned for a deep dive into this issue in the coming weeks. You can watch that hearing here.

As the session gains momentum, stay tuned for opportunities to get involved and learn more about the legislative issues that affect our daily lives. We’ll continue to keep you informed on their progress and ways to get involved throughout the legislative session!

Be well. Until next week...

Megan Chase-Muller

State Policy Director

mchase@upstateforever.org

Odds and Ends and Actions:

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Upstate Forever is a nonprofit conservation organization that protects critical lands, waters, and the unique character of Upstate South Carolina. Over the past two decades, we have worked to protect the natural assets that make the Upstate so special — our farmlands, forests, natural areas, rivers, and clean air. We are committed to ensuring that our communities are vibrant and retain their green spaces, outdoor heritage, and unique identities in the face of rapid development and significant sprawl. Our vision is an environmentally healthy, economically prosperous Upstate that offers a high quality of life now and for future generations.

For more information, visit our website at upstateforever.org or send us an email.