Legislative Update Feb.22 - 26

Energy and Land Use are some of the top priorities for the Columbia Office and were a major topic of discussion last week at the State House. With bills realting to both of these issues in the Senate and the House, our efforts will be focused on the following pieces of legislation in the coming weeks:

S.1096/H.4448 Utility Energy Efficiency Financing
S.1096, introduced by Sen. Glenn McConnell (R-Charleston), was passed by the full Senate on February 25th and has been sent to the House. We would like to thanks the members of the Seante for supporting this legislation. The House companion bill, H.4448 by Rep. Sandifer (R-Oconee), is on third reading and will likely be passed this week setting up a conference with a final product expected to be sent to the Governor later this month. CCL supports this bill becuase it will save money, save energy and create local jobs.


S.1054 Mega Mall Tax Incentives
The full Senate voted 29-13 on February 25th to place the highly controversial S.1054 by Sen. Clementa Pinckney (D-Jasper) on the Special Order Calendar, setting up a possible filibuster this week. The bill offers up to $130 million in tax breaks to a single developer if certain hiring targets are met and is being opposed by CCL on environmental and policy backgrounds.

This bill currently addresses one project (Okatie Crossings) and one developer (Sembler Corporation of Atlanta). It is being portrayed as a jobs bill for Jasper County, but the State Board of Economic Advisors has stated that very few new retail jobs will be created, but rather would just move from other nearby facilities.

An enormous impervious surface footprint will be added to the Okatie and New River watersheds - more than 200 acres of new rooftops and asphalt present unavoidable water-quality impacts for these two impared rivers.

No stormwater management plan has been submitteed to the permitting agency, the S.C. Department of Heath and Environmental Control.

SC Coastal Conservation League staff met with Sembler representatives in July 2009 and expressed our concerns regarding this project. Since that time, CCL has repeatedly asked that any new documentation or designs be forwarded to us, particularily a stormwater management program.

To date, not a single item has been offered.

CCL, along with other groups are questioning the fiscal rational for such a large tax giveaway to a single developer who will be in direct competition with existing businesses.

For their part, Sembler has publicly stated that they will not go forward with the project as envisioned, without this tax subsidy.

Support the Conservation Bank!
The Conservation Bank is going to have a hearing on the Death Clause (S.903, introduced by Sen. McConnell) this Wednesday, March 3rd at 9:30 AM in the Senate Agriculture and Environmental Subcommittee. This legislation, along with it's companion in the House (H.4269, introduced by Rep. Herbkersman), will keep the funding cuts in line with the rest of the agencies in years where the appropriations are reduced or when the state is subject to across the board cuts.

Additionally, the Conservation Bank will have a budget hearing in front of the Senate Finance Committee on March 11th. The budget hearing on the House side was well attended by advocates and was recieved favorably by the legislators staffing that subcommittee. The CCL Legislative Team thanks all who came to show support in the past and encourages everyone to show up again for our hearings on the Senate side on March 3 and March 11.

If you cannot make it to our hearings, please tell legislators to support S.903 by clicking HERE.