Senate opposition leaves South Carolina energy bill with listless future

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Before a bill that supporters said will help South Carolina keep the lights on as the state rapidly grows could get debated on the Senate floor, several senators spoke out against the proposal.

The lawmakers, including Republican Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey said it’s being rushed and could roll back expensive lessons learned by a failed nuclear reactors.

Massey said the 80-plus page bill introduced on Feb. 15 has too many changes to regulations. In remarks before the bill is even considered, he suggested punting it to next year and spending the rest of 2024 with comprehensive hearings to determine the scope the state’s power needs and exactly how the regulatory system is preventing utilities from getting the help they need to produce more electricity.

“I’m not going to be held hostage by people saying if you don’t give us exactly what we want when we want it we’re going to turn the lights out on you,” Massey said.

Supporters of the bill point to Christmas Eve 2022 when cold weather combined with some problems at generating stations led to demand that nearly topped the ability to generate electricity in South Carolina.

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