On Could 7, the South Carolina Senate handed HB 3309 after a rushed course of within the Home that stripped away key shopper protections, weakened power effectivity provisions, and eliminated a provision requiring information facilities to pay their justifiable share for power use. With simply days left within the legislative session, the Senate was pressured to cross a model that leaves South Carolinians uncovered to increased prices and decreased oversight.
The ultimate model of HB 3309 consists of provisions that enable utilities to bypass full fee instances and lift buyer charges yearly with minimal oversight. It additionally incentivizes pricey, capital-intensive tasks that profit utility shareholders whereas limiting public and regulatory scrutiny. The invoice grants approval for Santee Cooper and Dominion to collectively construct a big new fossil gasoline plant, doubling down on outdated power investments. The Home additionally eliminated a provision that will have required information facilities to pay their justifiable share of infrastructure prices. As well as, it stripped away primary ratepayer protections, together with the requirement to supply advance discover to landowners earlier than utilizing eminent area for power infrastructure tasks.
“It’s deeply disappointing to see practically a yr of considerate, expert-driven work within the Senate discarded in favor of a rushed course of that places utility income forward of communities in South Carolina,” mentioned Jake Duncan, Vote Photo voltaic’s Southeast Senior Regulatory Director. “Whereas the unique invoice had room for enchancment and we didn’t agree with every little thing in it, it was nonetheless a considerate and measured invoice.”
Regardless of main modifications, the invoice held onto a few of its authentic language supporting clear power progress. It permits utilities to develop new customer-side distributed power useful resource (DER) applications, increasing alternatives for photo voltaic paired with storage, load flexibility and electrical autos. It additionally improves and formalizes the aggressive procurement course of for utility-scale renewable power tasks. As well as, the invoice enhances power effectivity (EE) applications by allowing the Public Service Fee (PSC) to set EE targets for utilities, and if these targets usually are not met, the PSC can appoint a third-party administrator. Nonetheless, the Home weakened these EE provisions by eradicating stronger language from the Senate model that will have required the PSC to approve all cost-effective effectivity measures, explicitly set EE targets and impose penalties on utilities that failed to satisfy them.
“South Carolinians deserve greater than rushed insurance policies and rising payments; they deserve a good, clear power system,” Duncan mentioned. “Vote Photo voltaic will proceed to advocate for insurance policies that enhance entry to native photo voltaic options and put communities first.”
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