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Sierra Club Lobby Day
SC State Legislature
April 20, 2010
Important Bills In the Senate
Exempting Incinerators from Solid Waste Regulations (S.1325, Sen. Creighton Coleman) OPPOSE
S.1325 would undermine South Carolina’s solid waste reduction plan by exempting large incinerators that generate small amounts of power as “waste to energy” facilities. It would allow the proposed Covanta incinerator in Chester County to exceed the current 600 tons per day limit by acquiring unused capacity from existing landfills; however, the net effect would be to swap South Carolina’s future capacity with more trash from northeastern states. Covanta would burn over half a million tons of trash per year and leave behind almost 100,000 tons of unwanted ash waste. Incinerators emit dangerous dioxins and more mercury per unit of electricity than coal-fired power plants. Fostering energy efficiency and investing in innovative solar, wind and biomass technologies are better energy options for South Carolina than burning out-of state garbage. S.1325 has been referred to a Medical Affairs Subcommittee (Sen. Wes Hayes- Chair, Kevin Bryant, Ray Cleary, Brad Hutto, Shane Martin and Clementa Pinckney).
Ask your Senator to say NO to exempting trash incinerators from solid waste regulations.
Conservation Bank Death Clause (S.903, Sen. Glenn McConnell) SUPPORT
According to current state law, anytime there are across-the-board cuts to state agencies, the Conservation Bank funding is reduced to zero. This bill would remove this "death clause" and keep future budget cuts to the Bank in line with other state agencies.
This bill also extends the “sunset clause” for the Bank from 2013 until 2023.
The full Senate Agriculture Committee gave S.903 favorable reports in early March; however, after passing out of the Senate Agriculture Committee, S.903 was referred to the Senate Finance Committee for further review. Please urge members of the Senate Finance Committee to support this important legislation.
Conservation Bank Funding- SUPPORT
The Sierra Club supports funding for the South Carolina Conservation Bank. The House budget retained a proviso in its budget recommending only $207,000 for Conservation Bank funding–the bare minimum for operational expenses. The Conservation bank funding source, deed stamp revenues, could generate as much as $9 million next year so that even if the Bank’s funding was cut in half, funding would be about $4.5 million.
During the past few weeks, the Senate Natural Resources and Economic Development Subcommittee (Sen. Yancey McGill- Chair, Ralph Anderson and Larry Grooms) has heard the Conservation Bank’s funding request. As the Senate Finance Committee continues its budget deliberations, we encourage it to demonstrate that conservation is a top-tier priority by supporting removal of the Conservation Bank "death clause" and provide funding in the Senate budget to cover the Bank's contractual obligations - about $4.5 million. Ask your Senator to support funding for the Conservation Bank.
Emergency Notification (H.3603, Rep. Mike Pitts) SUPPORT
This bill, which passed the House in 2009, requires DHEC to create a standard procedure for public notification in the event of a major spill in public waters. The Senate Medical Affairs Subcommittee (Sen. Danny Verdin- Chair, Kevin Bryant, Joel Lourie, Shane Martin and Floyd Nicholson) carried this bill over for further discussion two weeks ago. Another meeting has not yet been scheduled.
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Phosphate Limits-H.4503 (Rep. Mike Pitts) SUPPORT
This bill places restrictions on the sale of household detergents containing phosphates, a pollutant found in many of South Carolina’s public waters. H.4503 passed the House unanimously two weeks ago on a voice vote and has been referred to the Senate Medical Affairs Committee. A meeting has not yet been scheduled.
Electronics Recycling (H.4093, Rep. Dwight Loftis) SUPPORT
This bill bans e-waste from landfills and would require electronics manufacturers to offer an e-waste recovery and collection plan in a manner convenient to the consumer. H.4093 passed the House the first week of March, and the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee gave the bill a favorable report two weeks ago, and sent it to the full Agriculture Committee (Sen. Danny Verdin- Chair, Lee Bright, Kevin Bryant, Paul Campbell, Chip Campsen, Tom Davis, Dick Elliott, Larry Grooms, Brad Hutto, Jake Knotts, Phil Leventis, John Matthews, Mick Mulvaney, Yancey McGill, Mike Rose, Vincent Sheheen and Kent Williams).
Bills in the House
Water Withdrawal Permitting (S.452, Sen. Paul Campbell) SUPPORT
After nearly four years of negotiations, most conservation organizations, DHEC, manufacturers, utilities, farmers and water suppliers have finally agreed to support a compromise water withdrawal permitting bill. On March 11th, the Senate voted unanimously in favor of a permitting bill that requires new users to maintain natural seasonal flows in our rivers, protecting wildlife, recreational uses and downstream users. This is an important first step to fully protecting our state’s rivers and negotiating with other states over shared water resources. This bill is expected to be on the next House Agriculture Committee Meeting Agenda.
Conservation Bank Death Clause H.4269, (Rep. Bill Herbkersman) SUPPORT
According to current state law, anytime there are across-the-board cuts to state agencies, the Conservation Bank funding is reduced to zero. This bill would remove this "death clause" and keep future budget cuts to the Bank in line with other state agencies. This bill also extends the “sunset clause” for the Bank from 2013 until 2023. Ask House Members to support this important legislation.
A solid win for energy efficiency! (no action needed-passed)
An energy efficiency milestone was reached earlier this month when the Governor signed S.1096. On-Bill Efficiency Financing legislation will help pave South Carolina's way to a brighter energy future by saving money for homeowners, reducing energy use and creating local, green jobs.
S.1096 by Sen. Glenn McConnell enables electricity providers to offer voluntary financing and loans to their residential customers for weatherization, insulation, and upgrading to more efficient heating and cooling systems. The homeowner repays the loan over time on the utility bill, and, if the property is sold, the new owner assumes the loan.
A full text and history of each bill can be found at South Carolina Statehouse
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