The Senate in South Carolina was successful on 7 May HB 3309 After a rushed process in the house that took away important consumer protection, weakened energy efficiency provisions, and a provision removed for which data centers had to pay their fair share for energy consumption. With a few days left in the legislative session, the Senate was put under pressure to pass on a version that exposes South Carolinians to higher costs and reduced supervision.
The final version of HB 3309 contains provisions with which utilities can bypass complete interest rate values and increase the customer rates annually with minimal supervision. It also stimulates expensive, capital-intensive projects that benefit utility shareholders and at the same time limit public and regulatory control. The bill grants the approval for Santee Cooper and Dominion to jointly build a large new fossil gas factory, which doubles on outdated energy investments. The house has also removed a provision that would need that data centers would pay their reasonable part of the infrastructure costs. In addition, the basic protection of the basic rate of difference has taken away, including the requirement to provide landowners from landowners before the Energy Infrastructure Projects Eminent Domain is used.
“It is deeply disappointing to see for almost a year thought out, expert work driven by expert work thrown away in the senate in favor of a rushed process that places utility gain for communities in South Carolina,” said Jake Duncan, Southeast Senior Regulatory Director of Solar. “Although the original account had room for improvement and we did not agree with everything in it, it was still a thoughtful and measured account.”
Despite major changes, the bill held to part of the original language that supports the progress of clean energy. This allows aid programs to develop new programs for the programs (Der) programs, expand opportunities for solar energy that are combined with storage, loading flexibility and electric vehicles. It also improves and formalizes the competitive purchasing process for renewable energy projects on tools. In addition, the bill improves the Energy Efficiency (EE) programs by allowing the Public Service Commission (PSC) to set a goals for utilities, and if these goals are not achieved, the PSC can appoint an external manager. However, the house weakened these EE provisions by removing a stronger language from the senate version for which the PSC should approve all cost-effective efficiency measures, explicitly set a goals and imposed fines on utilities that did not meet them.
“South Carolinians deserve more than rushed policy and rising accounts; they deserve a fair, transparent energy system,” Duncan said. “STEM SOLAR will continue to argue for policy that increases access to local solar solutions and put communities first.”
News item from STEM SOLAR
