use each of these tools to more intentionally build power for conservation and push for bold environmental policy change.Taketherecentenergydebatein the General Assembly, for example. The South Carolina House introduced a dangerous and far-reaching energy bill that would allow fossil-fuel interests to destroy our environment and raise our rates with little to no oversight from state regulators. So we threw everything at it. Our response was proportional to the threat it posed to South Carolina’s environment and ratepayers, and we did everything we could to defeat this dangerouslegislation.
Our government relations and energy policy teams were in the Statehouse lobby daily, educating lawmakers and liningupvotesandvoicesinopposition.
UsingEveryToolto ProtectOurEnvironment
prevent one of the most dangerous pieces of energy legislation from becoming law, proving those wrong who told us that we didn’t have what it would taketostopthetoppriorityoftheSpeaker of the House. As this newsletter went to press, the bill is still not–and likely won’t become–law. In stopping the bill so far, we’vealreadydefiedtheodds.Butwecan andmustcontinuethefight.
We will closely monitor conference committee discussions around the disastrous energy bill and mobilize immediately to oppose it if it gains traction.
protecttheair,land,andwaterwealllove. Thank you for all of your support and all youdo.
Withgratitude,
JohnTynan President
LegislativeScorecard
It is that time again! We have closed out another two-year legislativesessionattheSouthCarolinaStatehouse,andnowyou can see how your legislators voted on a range of critical conservationissues.
We scored each Representative and Senator based on their votes to protect endangered agricultural lands, roll back protective regulations,passharmfulenergylegislation,andmore.
This year, the House’s view on energy policy was a clear dividing line between Representatives. Senate scores were incredibly high across the board, showing that they work through consensus and didn'ttakeasmanycontroversialvotes.
How did your Representative or Senator vote on the legislation that impacts our environment in South Carolina? Scan the QR code or visit cvsc.org/scorecardstofindout.
emissionsandpollution.
CVSC and the conservation community’s response was proportional to the untoldenvironmentaldestructionposedbythisbill,introducedbySpeakerofthe HouseMurrellSmithinFebruaryafteranunsuccessfulstakeholderinputprocess. CVSC launched PalmettoPowerGamble.com, organized a rally at the Statehouse against H.5118, drove dozens to testify at hearings, ran TV and digital ads, and drovethousandsofcallsandemailsintolegislativeoffices.Despiteagroundswell of opposition and a strong media narrative building against the bill, the House approved the bill with relatively few changes. CVSC and partner efforts helped slowdownthebillandhighlightedmajorissuesandconcerns.
These efforts paid off when the bill hit a major roadblock in the Senate. After a rushedcommitteeprocess,abipartisangroupofSenatorsspokeoutagainstthe bill, utility overreach, and how quickly the bill was moving forward. The bill was amended in the Senate, making it little more than a non-binding policy statement. Because the House and Senate versions of the bill were so different, the legislation has been sent to a conference committee and has an uncertain future.
Becauseofourleadershipandopposition,theenergybillchampionedbyutilities is now on life support. To the South Carolinians who stepped up and spoke out against this harmful legislation–thank you. We couldn’t be more proud of our advocatesandthethisteamforallofthehardworkanddedicationtoprotecting theSouthCarolinawelove.
StoppingH.5118
Unfortunately, the fight isn’t over yet. This summer, H.5118 is headed to a conferencecommitteewherelegislatorscouldtrytopassthisbillagainorputit at the top of the agenda for next year. We’ll keep you posted on ways to take actioninthecomingmonths.
LegislativeRecap: Land
With South Carolina now the fastest-growing state in the nation, it’s more importantthanevertoadvancebothlandprotectionpoliciesandsmartgrowth policiestosafeguardournaturalresourcesandthehealthofourcommunities.
Thisyear,wecelebratedthepassageoftwopiecesoflegislationthatwillprovide tools for protecting more land and water in South Carolina. A third piece of legislationwasintroduced,andalthoughitdidn’tpass,ithasspurredlawmakers to think about the role they can play in advancing smart growth from the legislature.
For all of these bills, CVSC worked tirelessly to find co-sponsors, educate lawmakers, and drive public support, which will have a lasting impact on land protectionandaccessibilityacrossSouthCarolina.
WorkingAgriculturalLands
(passed)
The Working Agricultural Lands Bill (H.3951) will protect farmland in the statefromrampantdevelopment.ItcreatesadedicatedfundattheSouth Carolina Conservation Bank to purchase conservation easements that ensureworkingagriculturallandstaysthatwayforgenerationstocome.
TrailsTaxCredit
(passed)
The Trails Tax Credit Bill (H.3121) will help to expand and enhance trail connectivityinthestatebyofferingataxcredittoprivatelandownerswho encumbertheirpropertywithapublictrail.TheCOVID-19pandemicputan enormousstrainonourtrailsystems,andthisbillhelpseasethatstrainby encouragingtheaccessibilityandconnectednessofSouthCarolina’strails.
TransferableDevelopmentRights
(didnotpass)
TheTransferableDevelopmentRightsBill(H.4996)wouldhavebeenatool for towns and counties to shift growth away from areas they want to protectandintoareasthatareadvantageousforgrowth.Theseprograms can protect open land, wetlands, farmlands, and more while increasing density, affordable housing, and efficient public services in other areas Although this bill did not pass, we will continue to fight for new tools to promotesmartgrowthinSouthCarolina.
Outsideofthe GeneralAssembly
Despite a busy legislative session, CVSC has engaged in exciting developmentsoutsidetheStatehouse
Amid a pivotal election year, we ' ve expanded our political team and endorsed 34 conservation-minded candidates for the House and Senate We've also kicked off the SC Rosenwald Trail Study, a project to preserve historical Rosenwald Schools and create a statewide trail network. In our ongoing work with the Public Service Commission, we ' ve advocated for smartenergysolutionsandmobilizedpublicoppositiontosignificantrate hikes proposed by major utilities. Finally, our inaugural Palmetto LeadershipAcademyhassuccessfullygraduateditsfirstcohortofFellows, whoarenowpoisedtotakeonleadershiprolesacrossthestate.
Read on for more details about these exciting initiatives and our ongoing effortstoprotectSouthCarolina'senvironmentandcommunities.
ConservationVoters
2024ElectionStrategy InAction
In a pivotal year when every House and Senate seat is up for grabs CVSC has expandedourteamtoenhanceourimpactthroughoutthiscriticalelectioncycle.
In January, we welcomed Austin Brown as our Upstate Political Manager. Austin has been monitoring actions of Greenville County Council, developing strategies to hold its leadership accountable, and is leading our efforts in State House and StateSenateracesthroughouttheUpstate
In April, we continued our expansion by hiring Tyler Mason as our Lowcountry PoliticalManagertoenhanceoureffortsinCharlestonCountyandbeyond.Tyler's role involves forging strong relationships with local leaders and conservation partners and leading the charge on a slate of House and Senate efforts throughoutthestate.
In the early part of the year, our team was busy with the rigorous candidate evaluation process as the election season heated up. We contacted every candidate who filed to run for House and Senate seats across South Carolina to participate in candidate surveys and interviews with our staff. After careful deliberation, the CVSC Board endorsed 24 candidates for the House and 10 candidatesfortheSenateacrosstheState.
At CVSC, our bipartisan approach ensures that we support candidates who champion conservation, irrespective of their political affiliation. Our team is implementing robust campaigns to support these candidates through political mail, phone calls, texts, digitalads,anddoor-knocking.
Scan the QR code or visit cvsc.org/elections to see the candidates we endorsed and how they fared in their primaryraces.
Primary Election Results
Update:PublicServiceCommission
The Public Service Commission (PSC) works to oversee power companies’ energy plans and requests for rate increases. Early in the year, CVSC arranged for expert speaker Aaron Schwartz from RMI to present our fifth educational briefing to the PSC, highlighting battery storage basics, market trends, and examples of successfulbatteryprojectsinotherstates.
Aaron met with several legislators and advocates, and his discussions helped to inform the debates at the PSC and the General Assembly. For example, Aaron highlighted that Hawaii replaced an entire coal plant with battery storage, which CVSCstaffandlawmakersusedtoopposefossil-fuel-backedH.5118.
Alsothisyear,DukeEnergyCarolinasfiledatthePSCrequestinga15.5%increasein its rates, although it reached a settlement agreement with several parties in the case that would reduce the amount of the increase by about one-third. Dominion Energy has also requested a 14.21% increase in its customer bills. CVSC drove ratepayer participation in these cases, leading to significant testimony opposing theincreases.
Driving public participation at the PSC is crucial in ensuring that the Commission and utilities know the public is watching and ultimately holding utilities and the regulators accountable for their actions. The PSC will decide on the rate hikes this summer,sostaytunedforupdates!
Update:SCRosenwaldTrailStudy
The South Carolina Rosenwald Trail Study officially kicked off after receiving state fundingin2023!CVSCisproudtohavelobbiedforthestudylastyeartohelpbring theinitiativetolife.
You may recall that nearly 500 Rosenwald schools were built in rural African AmericancommunitiesinSouthCarolinaintheearly1900s.However,onlyabout40 remain standing in various states of repair due to development, sprawl, and neglect. Without action, those that remain could soon be lost forever. Protecting these schools and the land they occupy broadens the impact of conservation efforts by protecting cultural and historical landmarks that traditional land protectioneffortshaveoverlookedandunder-investedin.Alllandtellsastory,and thestoryofRosenwaldSchoolsdeservestobetoldandprotected.
CVSC serves on this study's steering committee along with The WeGOJA Foundation, Earth Design Inc., and South Carolina Parks Recreation & Tourism, among others. The steering committee has begun the study with six pilot Rosenwald Schools to develop a model for a scalable trail network. We are engaging community groups to inform the planning process and ensure the resultingnetworkbenefitsallthoseinvolved.
Once the study is completed, CVSC and Rosenwald partners will present their findingstotheGeneralAssemblyinhopesofcreatingaStateRosenwaldSchools TrailNetwork.We’llkeepyouupdatedasthisinitiativeprogresses!
SupportingFutureLeaders
We'rethrilledtosharetheexcitingjourneyofourinauguralcohortofourPalmetto Leadership Academy (PLA)! As a program under the CVSC Education Fund, the PLA is dedicated to nurturing, educating, and supporting the next generation of conservationleadersforboardsandcommissionservice
In our first cohort, 13 passionate individuals embarked on a transformative sixmonth journey, eager to delve into the intricacies of public service and environmental stewardship. At the heart of PLA's mission is the belief that leadershipisnotconfinedtoaselectfewbutisaccessibletoallwhoarewillingto learn and serve. Our Fellows, from diverse backgrounds and experiences, exemplifiedthisethosastheynavigatedthroughsessionscoveringboardbasics, community engagement strategies, the nuances of policy intersectionality, and theimportanceofdiversityandinclusioninleadership.
Throughouttheirjourney,ourFellowshadtheprivilegeoflearningfromseasoned leaders and experts in the field. From insightful discussions with Kent Lesene, Director of Government Affairs at the SC Association of Counties, to engaging sessions with Fiona Martin, Member of the SC Planning and Zoning Commission, our Fellows gained invaluable wisdom and forged meaningful connections with SouthCarolina'smostprominentconservationadvocates.
The inaugural cohort concluded their PLA journey in June, and we ' re thrilled to witness their continued impact as they pursue roles on local boards and commissionsacrossthestate
PLAFellowsonPage16,picturedlefttoright: McKenzieWatson,NicholausOuten,KarineDebaty,DavidArtushin,RobertReese, Michael Layer, Alecia Brewster, Bridgett "BT" Tabor, Ava Dean, Joana Lagunes Arauz,Don"DJ"Polite.Notpictured:JamesHeil
JoinUsfortheNextCohort
Areyoupassionateaboutdrivingchangeinyourcommunity?Doyouaspireto make a difference in environmental conservation and public service? If so, we inviteyoutojoinusforthenextcohort!
Applications are now open for individuals who are eager to grow their network, expand their policy knowledge, and contributetothehealthandenvironmentoftheircommunity by serving on boards and commissions across the state. Whether you ' re a seasoned advocate or a newcomer to public service, PLA welcomes individuals from all backgroundsandexperiences.
Scan the QR code or visit cvscorg/scpla to apply for the upcoming cohort and subscribe to our email list to stay updated on future deadlines. Join us on a transformative journeytowardleadershipandconservationexcellence.
CongratulationstoourPLAFellows!
Our inaugural cohort of Fellows graduated in June of 2024, andwecan’twaittoseehowthey’llusewhatthey’velearned toservecommunitiesacrossthestate.
Our beautiful state faces threats to its environment and community health every day. From overdevelopment to contaminated wells and waterways to rising seas and extreme flooding driven by climate change, the need for environmentalactionhasneverbeenmoreurgent.
The Grove is CVSC’s community of monthly donors devoted to building an inclusive and impactful conservation movementthroughcollectiveaction.
