Mcconnell and Alexander lead energy delegation to DC
February 5, 2009 by senatormcconnell
Sen. Thomas Alexander, R-Walhalla, chairman of the State Public Utilities Review Committee (PURC), led a delegation to Washington on Wednesday to present a report on South Carolina’s energy resources to the members of South Carolina’s Congressional Delegation.
The PURC is charged with oversight of the state’s electric and gas utilities.
The report provides a comprehensive inventory and assessment of the state’s energy resources and makes recommendations to state and federal lawmakers. It includes details on where and how South Carolina generates electric power, what renewable and other resources are available, how South Carolinians use energy, and it gives pertinent demographic data about personal income, housing stock and illiteracy levels. Read more
Lawmakers defend coal power in S.C.
February 5, 2009 by senatormcconnell
A bipartisan group of South Carolina legislators, echoing the position of the state-owned power company, traveled here Wednesday to urge the state’s Congressional delegation to find ways to allow the state to avoid an expected federal crackdown on greenhouse gases from coal-fired power plants.
Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, a Charleston Republican, and the five legislators who accompanied him hand-delivered a report to the Congressional delegation that publicly reveals for the first time that almost two-thirds of South Carolinians rely on coal for power. Read more
Lawmakers Release SC Energy Policy Report
February 5, 2009 by senatormcconnell
Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell, and the members of the State Public Utilities Review Committee (“PURC”) traveled to Washington today to present a report on South Carolina’s energy resources to the members of South Carolina’s Congressional Delegation. The PURC, a joint legislative committee chaired by Sen. Thomas Alexander, and of which Rep. Harry Cato is the Vice-Chairman, is charged with oversight of the state’s electric and gas utilities.
The report, prepared by the PURC, with the assistance of the state’s Office of Regulatory Staff (“ORS”), provides a comprehensive inventory and assessment of the state’s energy resources and makes recommendations to state and federal lawmakers. The report includes details on where and how South Carolina generates electric power, what renewable and other resources are available, how South Carolinians use energy, and it gives pertinent demographic data about personal income, housing stock, and illiteracy levels. Read more
S.C. legislators slam environment rules
February 5, 2009 by senatormcconnell
Environmentalists, in turn, slam legislative report
Proposed federal pollution standards aimed at reducing greenhouse gases would hurt S.C. consumers, according to a legislative report delivered Wednesday to the state’s congressional delegation.
The report criticized federal proposals to trim carbon emissions through a “cap-and-trade” system or to require utilities to buy power generated from renewable sources like solar and wind.
“Some of these proposals could have severe consequences on hard-working South Carolinians who risk being saddled with the ever rising costs of unattainable federal mandates” said Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, R-S.C.
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The report, though, was blasted by environmentalists, who said it overlooked conservation efforts and advancements in the use of solar and wind power.
McConnell led a contingent of legislators and state officials to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to deliver the report. Congress is considering legislation to curb greenhouse gas emissions, which are blamed for global warming.
“Cap-and-trade” means the federal government would set a limit on the amount of carbon dioxide gases emitted by a fossil fuel generating plant. Utilities exceeding the limit would be allowed to trade or buy credits from utilities that pollute less.
The report, written by the legislature’s Public Utilities Review Committee, noted that 61 percent of the electricity consumed in the state is generated from coal-fired plants, which emit greenhouse gases.
If the power companies can’t meet the standards, tariffs on greenhouse gases emitted from coal-fired plants could increase the electric bill of a homeowner using 1,250 kilowatt hours a month to $100 from about $10 a month, the report said.
The state’s older, less efficient housing and low-income, growing population “make it one of the most difficult places in the country to implement a cap-and-trade policy, potentially placing an unfair burden on consumers,” the report added.
The report also claimed the state doesn’t have enough wind and or sunshine to rely on those resources to supplement power needs.
The Sierra Club’s John Hartz criticized the report, saying its “recommendations will only perpetuate our state’s dependence on the out-of-state, dirty energy sources.”
Tom Clements of Friends of the Earth, added that the report “lets the utilities off the hook from taking action on global warming and demand-side management.”
But SCE&G spokesman Eric Boomhower said the report underscores the need for nuclear power.
“Nuclear power will allow us to provide our customers with the most reliable source of electricity available today, will help reduce greenhouse gases in our state, and will enable us to produce electricity more economically than any other form of large-scale power generation currently available,” Boomhower said.
The state Public Service Commission is expected to rule by the end of February on the utility’s application to add two reactor units to its Jenkinsville nuclear plant.
By CHUCK CRUMBO
The State
S.C. legislators to press energy needs in D.C.
February 4, 2009 by senatormcconnell
A contingent of legislators will travel to Washington, D.C., today to deliver a message to the state’s congressional delegation that South Carolina’s needs must be front and center as the country takes on climate change.
Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell and House Speaker Bobby Harrell, both Charleston Republicans, called the meeting to coincide with the release of a report that will detail an assessment of the state’s energy resources and recommendations on what needs to happen to meet future energy needs.
On the table now is the proposed construction of a new coal plant in Florence and four nuclear power plants. Read more
Panel sends port bill to full Senate
February 4, 2009 by senatormcconnell
The beleaguered State Ports Authority would change its focus from profits to economic development as part of an effort to return the Port of Charleston to a position as one of the top East Coast container ports under a plan approved by a Senate panel Tuesday.
That’s the way Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Larry Grooms pitched the urgency of his bill to the committee, which voted 9-4 to send it to the full Senate for consideration.
The bill would require the authority to develop a long-term strategic plan aimed at building the state’s economy, create an advisory board, change the way the governing board is appointed and set new qualifications for its members. Read more
Protecting Teachers
February 4, 2009 by senatormcconnell
South Carolina state senators have approved legislation that toughens penalties against students who assault teachers or other school employees.
Students who seriously injure a teacher on school grounds or at a school-sponsored event would be guilty of a felony. Students convicted of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature could be sent to prison for up to 10 years or fined up to $5,000.
A misdemeanor assault would bring students up to 30 days in jail or a $1,000 fine under the proposal, which also allows assaulted teachers to sue a convicted student. The bill needs one more vote before going to the House.
The State
Feb 4, 2009
Ports legislation advances
February 3, 2009 by senatormcconnell
Advocates for Charleston dock workers and maritime interests, along with an environmentalist, testified before a Senate panel Monday about the need for changes to the State Ports Authority.
The Senate Transportation Subcommittee advanced legislation that would restructure the management of the ports agency after hearing testimony that expressed support for the plan. The bill will be considered by the full Transportation Committee today.
No one from the ports authority spoke during the meeting.
Read more
Ports Authority Restructuring Plan Moving Fast Through State Senate
February 3, 2009 by senatormcconnell
Plan To Bring Stability & Oversight Passes Subcommittee
A strict plan to make the SC State Ports Authority more accountable and stable has passed a key Transportation subcommittee. Sponsored by Transportation Committee Chairman Larry Grooms and Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell, the plan restructures the State Ports Authority (SPA), creates additional legislative oversight and restructures the governance, management, and planning structure of the SPA.
Senator Grooms calls the plan a “mandatory step to securing economic growth in South Carolina.”
“One in every ten South Carolina jobs is directly linked to the port. We need to run the SPA more like a business with the strictest accountability, stability, and transparency,” Grooms said.
Grooms continued, “The Port of Charleston is too important to the economic vitality of South Carolina to be used as a political tool. It’s an engine of investment and job creation for the entire state. It must be protected at all costs.”
The restructuring plan:
• Demands stability and strong management.
• Emphasizes long-range and strategic planning, oversight, accountability, and transparency.
• Increases stability by ensuring that Board members can only be removed with just cause.
• Ensures that Board members have experience relevant to the Port’s mission. The plan sets all duties and qualifications for the Board members and the Executive Director.
• Creates an Advisory & Oversight Board to assist in developing a long-term policy for Port success. The Advisory & Oversight Board will carry out oversight duties and provide annual reports to the General Assembly.
• Requires the SPA to create a twenty-year strategic plan, which must be reviewed by the General Assembly.
Senators McConnell, Alexander Will Lead Delegation To Washington To Discuss Energy Issues
February 3, 2009 by senatormcconnell
Energy Policy Will Shape Economic Growth In South Carolina
Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell (R-Charleston) and Senator Thomas Alexander (R-Oconee) today announced that they will lead a delegation of South Carolina legislators and others to meet with the state’s Congressional delegation in Washington, DC to discuss future energy policy. The unprecedented meeting was requested by Senator Glenn McConnell and Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell to present a report of the state’s public utilities and to discuss concerns related to federal policy that could impact South Carolina’s energy sources.
The South Carolina contingent consists of members of the Joint Legislative Public Utilities Review Committee (PURC), which was created to oversee the regulators and regulation of our state’s public utilities. Over the past few months PURC has investigated and examined the status of South Carolina’s energy sources. Working with experts on utility and energy matters and holding public hearings with business, industry, and environmental leaders, PURC has developed a comprehensive Energy Policy Report that is a roadmap to South Carolina’s future.
The report, which will be available online at http://www.scstatehouse.gov/citizensinterestpage/EnergyIssuesAndPolicies/EnergyIssues.html on February 4th, offers what Senator McConnell calls a “sobering view of our state’s energy future, particularly if Congress adopts some of the carbon constraints currently under consideration.” Those restraints are just one of the many findings PURC will discuss with South Carolina’s Congressional delegation on Wednesday.
“South Carolina is facing an energy challenge like never before,” Senator McConnell said. “Despite the brief respite from high gasoline prices, it is only a matter of time before gasoline costs rise and create constraints on our economy. We are committed to keeping electricity as affordable, reliable, and environmentally responsible as possible.”
The meeting will take place Wednesday, February 4th, at 8:30 a.m., in Room 402 of the Cannon House Building, in Washington, D.C. The meeting is open to the public, and interested parties and members of the press are encouraged to attend.
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