May 14, 2012
Conservation = Dollars
We
thank the General Assembly for passing H.3083, which extends the life
of the Conservation Bank five more years. And earlier today Gov.
Haley upheld the Legislature's decision, and signed H.3083 into law. As
the full Senate begins its budget deliberations this week we encourage Senators to support full funding for the Bank and preserve South Carolina’s natural resource-based economy. This
very successful agency has conserved 131 projects in 32 counties
statewide conserving over 152,000 acres of highly significant and iconic
lands at an average cost of $534 per acre. Studies demonstrate that
farming, forestry, outdoor recreation and tourism contribute about $54
billion to the state’s economy and provide roughly 463,000 jobs. The
Conservation Bank helps protect the special places that fuel our state’s
economic engine and define our way of life.
In the House
Safer Bike Routes (S.1375, Sen. Chip Campsen) SUPPORT
State law currently restricts the use of anything but an automobile on
“controlled-access roadways-” for example the James Island
Connector in Charleston. S.1375 provides exceptions for bicyclists
and pedestrians to use these roadways if deemed appropriate by
the municipality—particularly if the roadway is the safest
available route. The Senate passed this bill in late April in a 38-2 vote, and the House Transportation Subcommittee (Rep. Joe Daning- Chair, Todd Atwater, Don Bowen, Doug Brannon, Robert Brown, Jerry Govan, Andy Patrick and Bill Taylor) will discuss it Wednesday, May 16 at 9:00 am in Blatt Room 433.
Plug-in Hybrid Bill (H.3059, Rep. Jim Merrill) SUPPORT
H.3059 would extend an existing state income tax credit of $2,000 for
highway-speed, plug-in vehicles. The tax credit has an annual
impact cap of $500,000 and is provided on a first-come,
first- served, basis. Within three years, over a dozen
hybrid models are expected to be available, providing
economic, national security, and environmental benefits.
This bill passed the House in a 64-40 vote last year, and this year it passed the Senate in a 27-9 vote. The bill has now been sent to the Governor for her signature.
Alcoholic Beverage Container (ABC) Recycling (S.461, Sen. Ray Cleary) SUPPORT
Two weeks ago, S.461, which creates a program for bar, restaurant
and hotel owners to implement recycling, experienced a
setback when the House Agriculture Subcommittee voted 3 (Reps. Bill
Crosby, David Hiott & Chris Murphy) to 1 (Rep. Chandra Dillard) to
adjourn debate on the bill. The bill will be brought up for
consideration again should a compromise be reached. We'd like to thank Rep. Hiott and Rep. Dillard for their leadership thus far on the bill. We will continue discussions with stakeholders in the upcoming weeks.
In the Senate
Polluter Bill (H.4654, Rep. Nelson Hardwick) OPPOSE special order unless amended
A
recent Supreme Court ruling affirmed protections for all of
our state’s waters, including Carolina Bays and wetlands, and
the right of citizens to sue against harm to themselves or
their property from pollution. H.4654 passed the House in an 85-22 vote in March, and in early April the Senate Medical
Affairs Committee adopted an amendment that does not satisfy the
conservation community's concerns about the bill. Consequently, we
oppose H.4654 in its current form. In early May, by a vote of 22-16,
a motion to grant the bill a special order slot, failed. We'd like to
thank the 16 Senators who voted against special order, and we
understand that a number of Senators voted for special order due
to misinformation. H.4654 remains on the Senate contested calendar,
with objections attached by Senators Hutto, Greg Gregory, Phil
Leventis, John Scott, Darrell Jackson, Joel Lourie, Kent Williams and
Floyd Nicholson. We urge Senators to oppose special order for the bill unless conservation amendments are adopted to protect wetlands and clarify standing for citizens' suits. This is a major 2012 Conservation Common Agenda priority.
Conservation Bank Sunset Extension (H.3083, Rep. Mike Pitts) SUPPORT
Originally slated to end, or sunset, in 2013, H.3083 extends the life of
the Conservation Bank five more years. Two weeks ago, after an
objection was removed, the bill received third reading in the Senate
and the House concurred (89-0). And earlier today, Gov. Haley signed the bill into law. We would like to thank the Senators who led the charge to protect Bank funding: President
Pro Tempore John Courson, and Senators Chip Campsen, Ronnie Cromer,
Greg Gregory, Hugh Leatherman, John Land, Yancey McGill and Vincent
Sheheen. We also urge the Senate to support full funding for the Conservation Bank this week in their budget debate.
Flow Control (H.4721, Rep. Kenny Bingham/S.514, Sen. Danny Verdin) CLARIFICATION
Waste disposal is considered a responsibility of government to provide,
so we view local ordinances to manage solid waste as legitimate
functions of Home Rule. H.4721 would undo Horry County's flow control
ordinance. Its Solid Waste Authority is a model for how local government
should “reduce, reuse, recycle” and reject out-of-state garbage.
Because an attempt may be made to place H.4721 on “special order” we
want to clarify the conservation community’s position on H.4721. It has
never been a priority of the Common Agenda and will not be scored, but
both Conservation Voters and Sierra Club oppose the bill. H.4721 passed
the House in early March; the Medical Affairs Committee gave it a
favorable report with Senators Courson, Hayes and Nicholson opposing.
Sen. Nicholson attached a minority report and Senators Leventis,
Elliott, Knotts, Ford and Williams are objecting.
Solar Tax Credit Bill (H.3346, Rep. Dwight Loftis) SUPPORT
This bill establishes a 35% state tax credit for the installation of
solar energy equipment for both residential and commercial
purposes placed in service in taxable years after 2010. This
legislation not only promotes renewable energy; it encourages
solar installations and creates new jobs. H.3346 passed the
House in a 100-10 vote last year, and was carried over three weeks ago by the full Finance Committee (Sen.
Hugh Leatherman- Chair, John Land, Nikki Setzler, Phil Leventis,
Harvey Peeler, Dave Thomas, Yancey McGill, John Courson, John Matthews,
Billy O'Dell, Glenn Reese, Wes Hayes, Greg Ryberg, Tom Alexander,
Larry Grooms, Clementa Pinckney, Mike Fair, Danny Verdin, Ronnie
Cromer, Kevin Bryant, Dick Elliott, Darrell Jackson and Ralph Anderson) for further discussion.
Abandoned Buildings Revitalization Act (H.4802, Rep. James Smith/S.1330, Sen. Creighton Coleman) SUPPORT
This legislation is in response to the hundreds of
abandoned buildings that are blighting many communities all
over South Carolina. H.4802 would create a 25% state income
tax credit applied to the rehabilitation of a building that
has been abandoned for at least five years, that will be
utilized for commerce and that will have at least $500,000
invested. This bill passed the House in early May by a vote of 108-0, and was referred to the Senate Finance Committee.
Property and Firefighter Protection Bill (H.4082, Rep. Ted Vick/S.1348, Sen. John Land) SUPPORT
This legislation would transfer 7% of taxes already being collected on
insurance premiums that currently go into the state’s General Fund
to the Forestry Commission to protect property, firefighters, the
public, and grow the forest industry. This is not a new tax, and
will not take funds from other organizations which currently
receive direct funding from insurance taxes and fees. H.4082 passed the House with a vote of 103-0 in April and referred to the Senate Finance Committee.
