Week in review: S.C. Senate panel gets early start on 2025 energy bill

A special S.C. Senate panel charged with finding a path forward from the wreckage of last session’s failed energy bill convened for the first time Aug. 22 to take sworn testimony from representatives of the state’s three major power utilities.

The story that the utilities told committee members was simple: South Carolina is currently the nation’s fastest-growing state with new residents and industries arriving every day. And with the Palmetto State’s coal-fired plants set for retirement due to federal environmental regulations, the power companies need a “streamlined” regulatory process that allows them to bring new power-generating capacity online quickly.

“Growth is here and more, much more, is coming,” Duke Energy executive Mike Callahan told the committee. “We need a clear and effective energy policy to plan for that growth.”

Of particular concern, they said, is the explosive growth of power-hungry data centers, which Callahan said are expected to represent one-quarter of Duke’s Palmetto State projects in 2028.

“Let’s be frank, some people like [data centers], some do not,” he said. “However, Duke Energy must be agnostic as we have an obligation to serve every customer that comes to our service territory.”

Nevertheless, senators expressed concerns about the request for streamlined oversight, particularly in light of the 2017 “Nukegate” scandal that left S.C. ratepayers on the hook for billions after Palmetto State utilities abandoned a pair of half-built nuclear reactors at the V.C. Summer plant in rural Fairfield County.

“The problem is there are too many people right now who don’t trust,” said Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield. “I can’t put that behind me and I don’t think a lot of people can put that behind them.”

The panel is expected to continue meeting through the fall, with an eye toward having the outlines of a bill in place when the S.C. General Assembly reconvenes in January.

Shealy, Code announced as Riley Institute award winners

Outgoing Lexington County Republican Senator Katrina Shealy and municipal Judge Merl Code will receive statewide leadership awards from Furman University’s Riley Institute at a dinner in their honor on Jan.y 14, 2025.

Shealy, one of three GOP “sister senators” who were defeated in their primaries this year after voting against a strict statewide abortion ban, will receive the institute’s Legislative Leadership Award for her “proven record for working collaboratively to drive progress for South Carolinians.” Shealy previously won a national John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award along with her fellow sister senators in 2023.

Code, a Greenville attorney and entrepreneur, served as Greenville’s first Black municipal judge and Chamber of Commerce chair. He has also served on the boards of Furman University and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. In 1996, Code received the state’s highest civilian honor, the Order of the Palmetto, from then-Gov. David Beasley.

“Senator Shealy and Judge Code epitomize how leaders work cooperatively and collaboratively to make South Carolina a place where all South Carolinians, regardless of their background, can live and flourish,” institute director Don Gordon said in a statement.

In other recent news

S.C.’s Harrison pumps up state’s DNC delegates. South Carolina native Jaime Harrison channeled his best version of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim “Coach” Walz in rallying South Carolina delegates about their part in a winning November political campaign. “If this is a team sport, if we have our MVP and Madam Vice President Kamala Harris,” said Harrison, chairman of the Democratic National Committee. “If we have our coach in Tim Walz, any championship team has to have some good role players. That’s where all of you come in.” Read full coverage of the convention from this week by the Charleston City Paper:

S.C. students still struggling in reading, math as racial gaps grow. Fewer than one-third of 8th graders in South Carolina public schools are doing math at grade level, according to statewide test results released Friday by the S.C. Department of Education (SCDE).

S.C. health officials stress importance of vaccine that legislators twice rejected. South Carolina’s public health agency is encouraging parents to protect their children from half a dozen types of cancer with a vaccine that lawmakers spent a decade debating before agreeing to even allow its promotion.

S.C. officials hope to save abandoned, historic buildings. State legislators extended a tax credit meant to refurbish old structures and made more money available for developers

S.C.’s new higher education commissioner pledges stability. Addressing state lawmakers for the first time Aug. 20, the commission’s newly installed president, Jeff Perez, sought to assure members of a House legislative oversight subcommittee that the 37-staffer agency was ready to turn a corner after months of investigations and high turnovers.

CDC ranks S.C. in bottom 10 for life expectancy. Life expectancy in South Carolina in 2022 was lower than in 82% of the U.S., according to the newest data released by the Centers for Disease Control.

Consumer experts warn homeowners to beware of storm chaser scammers. The Better Business Bureau is warning anyone with damage after Tropical Storm Debby to watch for “storm chasers” — scammers that target people needing repairs following severe weather.