CVSC Summer 2023 Newsletter

THE CONSERVATION VOTER

STEADY PROGRESS

Our accomplishments from the 2023 legislative session are best described as steady progress - steady progress on clean energy, transportation electrification, land protection, and more.

As I reflect on the 2023 session, I’m also struck by the fact that we’ve been making steady progress for 20 years at CVSC— building momentum for bold change every year. This year’s progress was made possible by years of collective momentum since our founding in 2004 when we started winning elections and shaping the political landscape for meaningful policy change.

Representative Nathan Ballentine (R-Chapin) often talks about our bold endorsement of him in his 2004 primary against the then-Majority Leader in the House. CVSC’s endorsement was the only one he received in that election. We sent multiple mailers highlighting his support for conservation (contrasted with his opponent) and played a key role in his victory.

The South Carolina Conservation Bank was a key issue in that campaign and was also in its infancy as an organization in 2004. With the momentum built from that election and others, CVSC and our partners have successfully funded and reauthorized the Conservation Bank multiple times over the last 20 years. In 2022 and 2023, CVSC worked with House leadership on a bill to reinstate a permanent funding stream for the Conservation Bank that links the amount of funding available for land protection to the rate of growth and development in South Carolina. The bill (H.3786) passed the House in the 2023 session and awaits action in the Senate.

Similarly, in 2016, CVSC endorsed Scott Talley in his effort to unseat then-Senator Lee Bright. We knocked on over 21,000 doors and sent over 120,000 pieces of mail to help Talley win the Republican primary runoff. Fast forward to this year, when Sen. Talley introduced legislation (S.779) that charts a clear pathway

for utilities to reduce carbon emissions by 80% from 2005 levels in a cost-effective and equitable way, doiing a lot to advance clean energy in SC.

Sen. Talley’s bill isn’t the only significant clean energy milestone tied to our electoral efforts. We endorsed and helped Rep. Bobby Cox win in 2018, helping to build momentum toward the passage of the Energy Freedom Act in 2019. We helped Rep. Deon Tedder win his primary in 2020, leading to his introduction of a bold energy efficiency reform package this year. And Reps. Cox and Tedder and Sens. Talley and Kimpson joined CVSC as hosts for an electric vehicle ride-and-drive, highlighting the benefits and excitement of electric vehicles for their colleagues.

These are just a few links between our 20 years of electoral victories and legislative successes. CVSC was formed to ensure that the environmental and conservation community had every tool to advance conservation policy in the General Assembly–specifically with an eye towards political accountability. We’ve used those tools well and have much to show.

We continue to reach a record number of voters each election cycle. We are drafting legislation and working with bipartisan lawmakers to introduce–and pass–bills that protect our air, land, and water. We’ve developed partnerships with over 100 conservation and community-based organizations. We’re pushing ourselves, the conservation community, lawmakers, and others to be more inclusive, equitable, and just in our advocacy and policy priorities. And we’re making the lives of South Carolinians better each year because of our work.

As I look to our next 20 years, I’m encouraged and emboldened by the progress that we’ve made, and I’m excited about the progress to come.Thank you for your support in getting us to our 20th anniversary!

JOHN TYNAN Executive Director

CVSC was formed to ensure that the environmental and conservation community had every tool to advance conservation policy in the General Assembly–specifically with an eye towards political accountability. We’ve used those tools well and have much to show.

CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS

With 2023 being the first year of a two-year session, CVSC set our sights on introducing and advancing major pieces of clean energy policy. With bold energy reform, energy efficiency, wind energy, and electric vehicle policies introduced, we gained a lot of momentum this year and have a lot of progress to celebrate.

Bold Energy Reform: CVSC worked with our conservation and clean energy partners and Sen. Scott Talley to draft and introduce the Energy Independence and Risk Reduction Act (S.779). This package advances clean energy through enhanced competition, shifts fossil fuel risk to utilities, and establishes a low-cost pathway to achieve 80% emissions-free electricity by 2035.

Energy Efficiency: CVSC also worked with Rep. Deon Tedder to introduce a comprehensive energy efficiency bill that would both increase the amount of energy efficiency programs offered across South Carolina and ensure the programs are consistent between utilities. This bill will also generate much-needed discussion around the future of efficiency policies in South Carolina.

Electric Vehicles: CVSC also worked with Rep. Brandon Newton and a host of bipartisan sponsors to introduce a bill to expand the alternative fuels tax credit to electric vehicle charging stations. This bill would ensure that the installation of EV charging receives the same tax treatment as other alternative fuel infrastructure - creating a pathway for enhanced EV charging stations across the state. CVSC leveraged our relationships with countless EV advocates and businesses, leading the robust support that helped the bill sail through subcommittee, committee, and the House floor.

Wind Energy: CVSC also lobbied for and secured $250,000 in the state budget to complete the wind energy manufacturing supply chain economic study that we passed in 2022. Once complete, the study will demonstrate the economic impact of expanding offshore wind manufacturing in South Carolina.

CLEAN ENERGY REGULATORY PROGRESS

Because of tireless efforts by CVSC to shine a spotlight on the Public Service Commission (PSC) and engage the public in these regulatory proceedings, the public voice is getting stronger at the PSC and regulators are taking notice!

Natural Gas Pipeline Regulations:

Environmental advocates have worked to advance protections for landowner rights and the environment during the(often contentious natural gas pipeline construction process. CVSC has educated lawmakers and grassroots advocates on these proposed rules and collected over 1,200 signatures on a citizen letter supporting the stronger regulations proposed by the PSC. This year, we worked with advocates to speak out at the hearing that was held in April. Each of our advocates was received well by the Commission and we’re optimistic that the Commission will maintain the rules they’ve proposed for protecting communities from pipeline expansion.

Fighting Natural Gas Driven Rate Increases:

Both Duke Energy Progress and Dominion asked to raise customer bills to pay for skyrocketing fossil fuel costs. In response, CVSC got to work engaging our advocates to show up and speak out at public hearings in opposition to these increases. CVSC briefed our advocates on the issues and worked with them to drive countless public comments into the record. Commissioners were so overwhelmed by the response that they scheduled a public hearing for Dominion, and CVSC advocates showed up there too! Faced with concern from the Commission and opposition from the public regarding the gas-driven rate increase, Dominion reduced their requested rate increase.

HIGHLIGHTS

LAND, WATER, & OCEAN LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS

CVSC has been making steady progress on land protection policies and funding for nearly 20 years, with continued success in 2023. However, we expanded our work beyond landscape scale preservation efforts to focus on communitybased land protection efforts that protect both land and cultural heritage in rural South Carolina.

Community-Based Land Protection: CVSC hosted a Rosenwald School Workshop last October that led to ongoing collaboration between state and local Rosenwald School partners. Rosenwald Schools were built for African American students in the early 1900s, enhancing education, improving social mobility, increasing college attendance, and setting the stage for the civil rights movement.

As a result of collaboration among those partners, CVSC worked to help introduce and pass a resolution (H.3968) that established February 28th, 2023, as South Carolina Rosenwald School Day.

In addition, CVSC lobbied with the Rosenwald Working Group to secure state funding for a feasibility assessment for the creation of a  Rosenwald School State Park Network. The WeGOJA Foundation is partnering with CVSC and South Carolina Parks Recreation and Tourism to complete the study. Once the study is completed, we look forward to working to secure approval and funding for the creation of the Rosenwald State Park Network.

Landscape Scale Preservation: In addition to community-based land protection work, CVSC also worked to advance landscape scale land protection through the Conservation Enhancement Act and substantial funding for land protection in the state budget.

The Conservation Enhancement Act (CEA) would restore dedicated funding for the South Carolina Conservation Bank, ensuring a reliable annual investment in South Carolina land protection.  We worked with a wide range of advocacy and land protection partners to activate the bipartisan support for land protection that CVSC has helped to build in the State

House over the last 20 years. With robust support, the CEA moved quickly through the House once the budget was completed, reaching an important milestone of making it through one chamber.

Finally, with strong support for land protection and strong champions for land funding in the Speaker’s office and the Ways & Means Committee, CVSC and the conservation community were able to work with Rep. Phillip Lowe to secure $45m for land protection funding in the state budget through the Conservation Bank ($25m) and DNR ($20m). In addition, $200m was secured for the Office of Resilience which will work to protect land in the state’s floodplains.

SESSION RECAP

LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS

The CVSC Government Relations Team made significant progress this legislative session on a number of critical pieces of legislation. You can read more about many of these bills in the program update sections elsewhere in this newsletter, but a quick recap of where things stand are below:

• The Alternative Fuels Tax Credit  (H.3824) would help incentivize taxpayers to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure by extending an income tax credit for a portion of the installation cost. CVSC secured sponsorship, rallied support behind the bill, and it passed the House with a vote of 92-16. The bill now awaits action in the Senate Finance Committee in 2024!

• The Trails Tax Credit Bill  (H.3121) would provide an income tax credit to a property owner who adds a voluntary, perpetual trail easement to their property and provides the qualifying criteria. CVSC rallied bipartisan support for the bill, helping it  pass the House unanimously. The bill awaits action in Senate Finance in 2024

• The Solar Property Tax Exemption (H.3948) would provide a property tax exemption for solar panels and the required equipment. CVSC worked with bipartisan clean energy champions to support the bill, helping it pass the House by a vote of 97-11! The bill also awaits action in the Senate Finance Committee.

• The Conservation Enhancement Act (H.3786) would restore the deed stamp funding mechanism to the Conservation Bank. This not only grants the Bank a consistent, reliable source of revenue, but it also ties the amount of funding for land conservation to the rate of development. CVSC worked with our land protection allies in the House to help this bill pass by a 93-20 vote. It also awaits action in the Senate Finance Committee.

• The Energy Independence and Risk Reduction Act (S.779) was introduced late in session and did not advance this year. It is a robust set of clean energy and energy market reform policies (see energy section above) that will shape much of the energy discussions between now and January of 2024.

• A critical component of the energy discussion is pursuing relief for communities and households across the state that struggle with unaffordable energy bills due to a lack of energy efficiency. The

Energy Efficiency Improvement Bill (H.4282) was also introduced late in the 2023 session but will be vital in 2024 to advance solutions for SC families.

• The State Budget also included a number of critical provisions for conservation and clean energy

• CVSC lobbied successfully to secure $300,000 for the study of a Rosenwald State Park Network (see land section above).

• CVSC successfully secured $250,000 for study of the economic benefits of expanding offshore wind manufacturing in South Carolina.

• CVSC and our conservation allies secured $45-million for land conservation split between the Conservation Bank and the Department of Natural Resources and an additional $200-million for the Office of Resilience

STOPPING ROLLBACKS

DHEC reform was a hot topic in the General Assembly this session. For years, influential members of the Senate have wanted to split DHEC into a separate environmental agency and health agency. This year the efforts of these lawmakers gained momentum.

CVSC and the SC Conservation Coalition’s priorities were to ensure that if the agency were to be split, the environmental agency would become more efficient, successful, and accountable in its function to protect South Carolinians and our environment-as well as prevent rollbacks of key environmental protections. We’re relieved to report that the DHEC reform bill preserves core environmental protections and provides opportunities for creating an improved environmental agency.

Though this bill is far from perfect, we’re pleased that the automatic stay compromise made it into the final version. You may remember from years past that the automatic stay is a crucial component of environmental permitting that serves as a pause button that holds any work from starting until the permitting process on a project is completed. If the automatic stay had been removed (as was attempted), it would mean that projects could start immediately, leaving time for potentially illintentioned actors to cause irreparable harm to our air, land, and water. Maintaining automatic stay is essential to a proactive solution for environmental damage, and we’re glad to see it in the final DHEC reform bill (S.399).

GREEN TIE

A W A R D S

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2023

11:00AM - 1:30PM

HISTORIC 701 WHALEY

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA

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