Welcome to the SC Conservation Legislation weekly blog. This is where you can find more information on bills contained in the Coastal Conservation League's weekly legislative update, as well as links to status reports on all the League's legislative priorities.
Bills that moved during the week of Feb. 1-5, 2010:
Utility Energy Efficiency Financing- H. 4448
The House Labor, Industry and Commerce Committee amended and approved H. 4448 by Rep. Sandifer (R-Oconee) which would authorize electric and gas utilities to finance residential energy efficiency and conservation measures over a specified time period and collect the principal and interest on the utility bill. This bill was originally written to apply only to the electric cooperatives but was amended so that it now covers investor owned utilities, Santee Cooper, and natural gas utilities as well. Projects that can be financed energy efficiency measures such as insulation, thermal windows, or upgrades to more efficient heat pumps. Renewable energy projects such as solar are not covered. The bill is silent on where the utilities will get the money to lend for these projects and utilities may have varying sources. The bill now moves to the full house and given the high level of support it received in committee passage is likely. CCL is supporting this bill because it provides the mechanism necessary to perform efficiency retrofits on a large scale, lowering electricity rates, creating jobs, and moving South Carolina towards an energy efficient economy
Staff Contact: Dennis Glaves
Multicounty Business Parks - S. 1054
The Senate Finance Committee has approved S. 1054 by Senators Pinckney (D-Jasper) and Malloy (D-Darlington) which allows counties under certain conditions to grant developers of “extraordinary commercial facilities" (Sembler Mega Mall on the Okatie) a reimbursement of tax revenue collected from retail sales. Legislation can’t identify a specific company and must be general in nature but this bill is written in such a way that only one project currently being proposed meets the definition of an “Extraordinary Commercial Facility” and that is Sembler Corporation’s Okatie Crossings project in the Bluffton area. S. 1054 is a highly contentious bill in that Jasper County is betting a lot of sales tax revenue (figures vary from $40 million to $130 million) in the hope that Okatie Crossings will generate jobs in one of the counties with a high unemployment rate. While the issue of tax revenue giveaways to Sembler is the crux of this bill, CCL is mainly focused on the local environmental impacts of this project, primarily a storm water runoff plan that has yet to be offered. The proposed project sits on the head of the already impaired Okatie River. The bill is now on the calendar for full Senate debate but several senators are using procedural measures that will make a final vote more difficult.
Staff Contact: Dennis Glaves
E-Waste - H. 4093
The House Committee on Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs approved an amended version of H.4093 by Rep. Loftis (R-Greenville) and others which would establish a requirement for manufacturers of computers, printers and most televisions to implement local recycling programs for electronic equipment. The amendment offered in full committee was worked out with all the interested parties. Currently, the computer manufacturers, Waste Management, the retailers and the conservation community are all onboard. Absent any last minute objections, it appears that this bill may move to the floor very quickly. The bill requires manufacturers or their agents to set up recycling programs with the intent to keep these devices out of landfills. The bill also requires signage at landfills informing citizens that dumping e-waste at these locations is illegal. While not all electronic devices are covered; a substantial portion are. Currently, hand held devices such as PDAs are not covered. This recycling program will go a long way towards keeping toxic metals like Mercury out of our landfills and drinking water. We would like to thank Reps. Loftis, Funderburk and Agnew for their leadership on this issue.
Staff Contact: Dennis Glaves
DHEC Reform - S. 384
An amended DHEC Reform bill passed out of the Senate Medical Affairs Committee to the full Senate. We thank Sen. Harvey Peeler and the Senate Medical Affairs Committee for giving attention to S.384 even though we are disappointed that the bill was reported out without the inclusion of amendments offered by Senators David Thomas and John Courson to increase the authority of the DHEC Board instead of making DHEC a cabinet agency. We encourage Senators to support floor amendments to make DHEC more transparent, accountable and effective.
Staff Contact: Patrick Moore
Permit Extensions-H. 4445
This bill passed out the Labor, Industry, and Commerce committee and goes to the House floor for debate after the furlough week of Feb. 8-12. The bill extends all permits in effect on January 1, 2009 and extends their validity until March 15, 2011. The goal of the bill is to ease the financial burden of re-applying for the permits in tough economic times. The League is concerned that portions applying to local governments could implicate the article 8, section 17 Home Rule provisions of the South Carolina Constitution. The League is also concerned that the bill would revive some permits where the regulations governing the permit have changed since the expiration. This legislation should not revive permits that would now be illegal pursuant to regulations reviewed and approved by the South Carolina General Assembly.
Staff Contact: Patrick Moore
As always, you can view our legislative priorities by clicking CCL Legislative Priorities
Thanks for reading the CCL legislative blog. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact any member of the legislative team.
Sincerely,
Patrick, Dennis, Cathy, and Merrill
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