Welcome to the 2025 Legislative Session!

Protecting Land & Water | Advocacy | Balanced Growth

www.upstateforever.org

Legislative Preview 2025

Highlights:

Nuts and Bolts of UF's Legislative Updates
Join us Wednesday morning for the Conservation Senate Briefing
Preview of the 2025 session
This week’s schedule

How to Navigate the SC Legislature

This week marks the beginning of the 2025-2026 Legislative Session. From January to May, our state’s 46 Senators and 124 Representatives will meet three days a week in Columbia to pass bills, resolutions, confirm appointments, appropriate $14.5 billion dollars in the state budget, and debate on matters that impact our natural resources and communities.

In the four years I’ve been in this role, the second Tuesday in January has felt like the first day of school. Columbia becomes consumed with anticipation for what the new session will bring as we greet old friends and welcome new faces. As in most years, we have a sense of what issues will occupy the legislative calendar for the first few weeks. We are also very aware that new issues pop up constantly, bills can take on a life of their own, and the art of the debate will be on full display.

Each week, we’ll send an update on legislative actions that affect the Upstate’s natural resources and communities, and provide opportunities to speak with legislators and meet fellow advocates.

Read below for a preview of what’s to come and the issues we’re focused on this year, including the SC Energy Security Act and additional measures to protect the Upstate’s special places. (Need a refresher on last year’s outcomes? You can find those here.)

But first, here's what you need to know about tomorrow's South Carolina Conservation Coalition Senate Briefing...

Join us: Conversations with Conservationists Senate Briefing

Wednesday, January 15th at 10:00 am

Upstate Forever is part of the South Carolina Conservation Coalition, an alliance of over 40 organizations working together on legislative issues important to our thousands of members across the state.

Each year, the Coalition kicks off the session with a Senate Briefing to present our priorities. This year, we will highlight:

Protecting SC’s waterways
Investing in land conservation
Supporting a clean and just energy transition

Invite your Senator!

A personal invitation from a constituent is a great way to connect with your legislator.
Click here to find out who represents you and their contact info

Please consider joining us in person!

If you would rather tune in online, the briefing will be streamed live on the Statehouse website.

Please email me at mchase@upstateforever.org if you would like to coordinate travel or have any other questions.

A Look into 2025

New lawmakers

Landmark primary and general elections in 2024 led to a shakeup in the SC House and Senate ranks. With 13 new senators (the largest freshman class since the 19th century), 19 new house members, and republican supermajorities in both chambers (the first time in 150 years), we can expect leadership to push through their priorities like energy reform, school choice, liability insurance, and tax reform with newfound fervor.

A healthy share of the new lawmakers represent our districts in the Upstate, and we look forward to building strong relationships with them and advancing shared conservation goals.

New to the SC Senate are former Representatives:

- Jason Elliot (District 6 – Greenville)

- Roger Nutt (District 12 – Spartanburg)

New to the SC House of Representatives:

- Adam Duncan (District 2 – Greenville)

- Phillip Bowers (District 3 – Clemson)

- Lee Gilreath (District 7 – Anderson/Belton)

- Blake Sanders (District 9 – Anderson)

- Luke Rankin (District 14 – Laurens)

- Stephen Frank (District 20 – Greenville)

- Paul Wikensimer (District 22 – Greenville)

- Chris Huff (District 26 – Pelzer)

- Scott Montgomery (District 32 – Spartanburg)

- Sarita Edgerton (District 34 – Spartanburg)

If you live in one of these districts, consider contacting them and introducing ideas that matter to you and the broader conservation community. You can find their contact information here.

Priority issues on the horizon

This year marks the first year of a two-year session, meaning any bill not signed by the Governor last year will have to restart the legislative process. It can often be a confusing and drawn-out process, but we’re here to help!

Energy reform back on the table

Last session, we had many reasons to celebrate — like the passage of the Working Agricultural Lands Preservation Act and the Trails Tax Credit Bill — while other bills like the SC Energy Security Act (H.5118) had us on the edge of our seats until the end. Ultimately, H.5118 couldn’t get past differences between the House and Senate, giving us more time to reframe the conversation on energy reform and learn more about the multitude of issues packed into that bill.

A Senate Special Committee on Energy met throughout the fall to dive into the bill's details, hear from advocates and experts, and discuss alternatives to addressing the rapidly growing demand for power driven by new data centers and large energy user manufacturing. Upstate Forever spoke about the need to consider the land use implications of each energy-related decision, the financial risks of pipeline buildout, and the rights of communities and landowners to be involved from the onset of building energy infrastructure.

A new version of this bill (H.3309) was pre-filed in December and remains largely unchanged from the version of H.5118 that passed out of the House on March 28, 2024. While some progress was made to mitigate the worst impacts of H.5118, more work is needed to ensure the new iteration of the Energy Security Act results in progressive reform, protections for ratepayers and property owners, and modern measures to accommodate economic growth.

The House Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee has already scheduled a subcommittee hearing on H.3309 to get the ball rolling. Led by new chairman Bill Herbkersman, we look forward to again participating in the process to find common ground. You can watch the hearing on Wednesday, January 15th at 11:00 am here.

Tools for conservation

We will also work to keep conservation top-of-mind for lawmakers by equipping landowners with the financial tools to preserve the Upstate’s agricultural lands, wild spaces, and places that hold important cultural and historic value. Through tax incentives and dedicated funding through the SC Conservation Bank, the state has shown strong commitment to conservation over the past few years. We look forward to working with our partners to advocate for sustainable funding, additional measures to incentivize conservation, as well as land planning tools for local governments. Stay tuned for more information about our priorities in upcoming legislative updates.

The Week Ahead

Wednesday, 1/15 at 10:00 am, three meetings are occurring simultaneously:

SC Conservation Coalition Senate Briefing. You can stream the briefing here (see details above).

The Ways and Means Criminal Justice Subcommittee will hear budget requests from the SC Conservation Bank and SC Department of Natural Resources. You can stream that hearing here, or visit the video archives page to watch later.

The House Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Environmental Affairs Committee will meet to consider the SC Forest Recovery Task Force. You can stream that hearing here, or visit the video archives page to watch later.

Wednesday, 1/15 at 10:30 am: The Ways and Means Economic Development Subcommittee will hear budget requests from the Department of Commerce, Rural Infrastructure Authority, and Santee Cooper.

Wednesday, 1/15 at 11:00 am: The House LCI Public Utilities Subcommittee will begin hearings on the new SC Energy Security Act (H.3309). You can stream the hearing here, or consider attending in person and join other conservation advocates in showing (or telling) the committee that this bill has far-reaching impacts and will require significant amendments to get it right. Please reach out to me if you are interested in attending this or future hearings on this bill.

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:

Did you receive this Update as a forward and want to sign up for it yourself? You can do so right here. The Legislative Update will hit your mailbox every week during session (January through May).

Did your senator or representative do something awesome this week? Tell them! Use this link to find out who represents you, and if you love a bill they are supporting, please let them know. You can also just use the link to tell them what is important to you.

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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.