By Lindsay Street, Statehouse correspondent | South Carolina’s drinking water could see new protections as state agencies work to draft the state’s water plan, mandated by an act signed by Gov. Henry McMaster May 16.
The State Water Plan legislation directed state agencies to protect the state’s groundwater and surface water.
According to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR), a framework for the plan will be completed this month.
“There is a good bit of info on surface water assessment and modeling already on our website, but the groundwater assessment and the demand forecasts are not complete yet, so it’s hard to say exactly when,” DNR public information liaison Kaley Lawrimore told Statehouse Report.
The State Water Plan is led by DNR in collaboration with S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, Clemson University, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a stakeholder advisory group known as the Planning Process Advisory Committee.
The framework document will be guided by the stakeholder committee groups in eight major river basins in the state, Lawrimore said. Public meetings are expected to begin after this month. See updates here.
In other news:
Questions raised on ES&S machines. Nonprofit online journalism group ProPublica released a report this week that looked at how ES&S cornered the electronic voting market — a vendor that supplies South Carolina’s new voting machines. The report says that there are security concerns and little competition among ballot-makers. Read it here.
Related: On Thursday, S.C. Election Commission head Marcia Andino penned an op/ed in The Post and Courier that calls the new machines safe and secure.
Previous coverage: Longer lines are expected with new machines, and some election experts say they fall short on auditing.
Lawsuit says it’s unconstitutional to suspend drivers’ licenses over traffic tickets. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center have filed a federal lawsuit in Charleston claiming the state unconstitutionally suspends drivers’ licenses of people who haven’t paid traffic tickets without first determining if they can afford to pay those fines. Read more.
Lawmaker accuses state agency of lacking transparency. State Sen. Dick Harpootlian on Wednesday accused state Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt of disregarding taxpayers’ right to know whether public dollars spent to bring Giti Tire to South Carolina was a good deal. Commerce officials say they have complied with state transparency laws. Read more.
In related news: S.C. Commerce recently released records to Statehouse Report on incentives offered to plastics companies.
ACA enrollment begins today. Affordable Care Act open enrollment begins Nov. 1 through Dec. 15, and the state could see higher interest in the plans as rates fall and more providers are available. Read more.
Previous coverage: Palmetto Project works to find coverage for S.C. residents in unprecedented ways.
Previous coverage: Hundreds in S.C. have died without expanded Medicaid, study finds.
Set clocks back Saturday night. It’s that time of year again where South Carolina follows the rest of the nation in ending daylight savings time, so remember to fall back an hour Saturday night (your smart phone will do this for you). A perennial gripe, S.C. lawmakers are set to address beginning in January whether the state should remain in daylight saving time indefinitely. Senate President Harvey Peeler, R-Gaffney, pushed and received the Senate’s backing on plan during the session. Now, it will be up to the House decide whether to buck neighbors and go solo on eliminating biannual time changes. The House approved the second of three readings of the bill before the legislature recessed in May.
Ports make $63 billion impact. The S.c. Ports Authority creates 1 in 10 South Carolina jobs and has a $63.4 billion annual economic impact, according to a new impact study. from the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business.“S.C. Ports Authority has further established itself as one of our state’s premier economic drivers,” Gov. Henry McMaster said in a statement. The analysis showed S.C. Ports’s operations and associated activities correspond to nearly 225,000 jobs and $12.8 billion in wages and salaries for South Carolinians that would otherwise not exist. Port operations account for 10% of the state’s economy and generate $1.1 billion in tax revenue annually for the state, the study found. “Port operations create high-paying jobs and attract port-dependent businesses to locate or expand throughout the state,” said the study’s author, research economist Joey Von Nessen of the University of South Carolina. “South Carolina’s success is intrinsically tied to S.C. Ports Authority’s continued growth.”
Federal judges say S.C. can’t exclude abortion providers. Federal appeals court judges in Virginia have ruled that South Carolina women on Medicaid can continue to seek health care at S.C. Planned Parenthood clinics in Columbia and Charleston. In 2018, Gov. Henry McMaster directed the state’s Medicaid agency to exclude abortion providers from Medicaid reimbursements. Read more.
‘Hands-free driving’ picks up steam in Columbia. South Carolina lawmakers are looking to make the state the 21st to pass a Hands-Free bill that has stricter fines and penalties for driving while talking on a cell phone. According to The State, “Momentum is building at the State House behind the “South Carolina Hands-Free Act,” which makes it illegal to use a phone while driving, as lawmakers hear testimony that distracted driving kills scores of South Carolinians every year and pushes up car insurance rates for everyone.” Read more.
Green groups to sue over plastic pellets. Environmental groups including the Southern Environmental Law Center and Charleston Waterkeeper are filing a lawsuit against Frontier Logistics for spilling plastic pellets that have washed up on Sullivans Island. Read more.
Abortion ban to be heard in Senate committee. A full meeting of the S.C. Senate Medical Affairs Committee will discuss an abortion ban that would prevent the procedure after many women know they are pregnant. The meeting is 10 a.m. Nov. 5 in room 105 of the Gressette building on the Statehouse grounds in Columbia. Agenda here.
Revenue forecasters to meet Nov. 8. The Board of Economic Advisers through the S.C. Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office will meet 1:30 p.m. Nov. 8 in room 417 of the Dennis building on the Statehouse grounds in Columbia.
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