By Lindsay Street, Statehouse correspondent | The holiday season is brewing a 2020 battle over solar energy after an order from the state’s utility regulator has sparked outrage from renewable energy advocates.
The battle has led the state Regulation of Public Utilities Review Committee to convene 2 p.m. Dec. 20 to discuss an email between a conservation nonprofit and a commissioner. See agenda here.
Conservation Voters of South Carolina Executive Director John Tynan and Public Service commissioner Tom Ervin have been at odds over a Dec. 9 order that kept utility contracts with solar providers to 10 years, and authorized rate reduction of roughly 33 percent. Today’s meeting, which Tynan described as “procedural,” will deal with a Dec. 13 email from Ervin that refuted allegations the nonprofit made regarding the decision.
Before the order came out, solar and conservation advocates called any big rate reduction a “doomsday” scenario for the industry in the state. That was reiterated in the Dec. 13 email. In four-paragraph response, Ervin denied that the PSC “slashed rates.” Ervin wrote a concurring opinion on how the order complied with state law and would not hurt the industry on page 102.
“The fact is that a ten-year contract term better protects both ratepayers and small QF solar developers by ensuring that avoided cost rates reflect the actual costs of generating electricity,” he wrote.
Tynan said the opinion does not reflect reality for the solar industry.
“From talking with our partners in the solar industry they are looking at not building another large solar project in the state as long as this ruling is in place,” he told Statehouse Report this week.
CVSC held a town hall Monday to allow lawmakers and about 60 residents in the state to voice their “frustration” over the ruling. Lawmakers who attended included Democratic Rep. J.A. Moore, Republican Sen. Sandy Senn, and Republican Rep. William Cogswell, all of Charleston.
Tynan said his group and other solar advocates will make fair contracts for renewable energy a focus in 2020.
“We will continue to shed the light on the Public Service Commission and how its decisions are undermining the Energy Freedom Act because voters and legislators need to know,” Tynan said.
- Previous coverage of the decision: Lawmakers express frustration with commission, float changes in 2020.
- Related: Lawmakers will review applicants to the Public Service Commission Jan. 7-9. Read agenda.
In other S.C. news:
Matthews honored for service. A portrait of longtime Bowman Democratic Sen. John Matthews now hangs in the Statehouse in honor of his service. Matthews is the state’s longest serving black legislator. Read more.
Rally to end gerrymandering Jan. 14. A rally to end gerrymandering will greet lawmakers when they reconvene in Columbia Jan. 14. According to Fair Maps SC Coalition, only 10 percent of the General Assembly’s 170 seats are competitive. More info.
Bad drunk driving record. About a third of all fatal car wrecks in South Carolina are related to drunk driving, according to federal data. The state has the fifth worst drunk driving rate in the nation. Read more.
Green mural unveiled at S.C. federal courthouse. U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel on WHEN unveiled Jonathan Green’s mural “Breath of Freedom.” It depicts a moment during the renowned Briggs v. Elliott school case that was heard in downtown Charleston 1951 and influenced the landmark federal ruling in Brown v. Board of Education that desegregated public schools nationwide. Read more.
Most U.S. metros lags in opportunity for kids of color. Most white children in the United States live in neighborhoods with high levels of opportunity, while most black and Hispanic children live in ones with low opportunity, according to Child Opportunity Index 2.0 from Brandeis University. Read more.
McMaster donates $315k in leftover contributions. Gov. Henry McMaster donated $315,000 from the $1 million he had leftover from his January inauguration to an animal shelter, a sexual crimes recovery center, veterans’ groups and a nonprofit that improves the Governor’s Mansion. Read more.
Charleston has worst plastic pellet pollution on East Coast. A University of Texas Marine Science Institute at Port Aransas researcher has found that Charleston has the highest measured concentration of spilled plastic pellets anywhere outside of the Gulf of Mexico. Read more.
- Previous coverage: State encourages more plastic-pellets transporters despite spill.
McMaster appoints Cohn to lead SCETV. Gov. Henry McMaster has appointed Richard Cohn Sr. of Columbia to serve as chairman of the SCETV Commission. Cohn, founder and chairman of the Columbia-based Cohn Corporation, has more than four decades of experience in the construction and development industry.
- Previous opinion: Drama does not belong on SCETV board.
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We Can Do Better, South Carolina!