[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6277802,"mediaKeyId","2646306-d3a02a0bf0dd2fe9ec20e047612b23f6","parentId",2646306,"title","Sea Grant Consortium seeks $83,000 recurring for administration; federal 1:2 match remains in effect","audioSeconds",365,"startMs",3071000,"endMs",3436000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2646306-d3a02a0bf0dd2fe9ec20e047612b23f6&start=3071&end=3436","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2646306-d3a02a0bf0dd2fe9ec20e047612b23f6/thumbnail_3071000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6277802/South-Carolina/Sea-Grant-Consortium-seeks-83000-recurring-for-administration-federal-12-match-remains-in-effect","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6277802-95e321dbe93015a04acf4a55dedc50f4/orig.mp4?Expires=1775391084&Signature=Nwf4oh7kB3e-7U-3cRlqZL~SwhyyJoRA53QINYzcQ5FWnEbC7tZQrx~qjhA2B6NC9DObA1vn7iFD95fPlpmMwGTwmGfk5lnMANzB-KtEVvaux~O62X60j1ePLT3ZG0NiDWAjFI8DkjOs98zA0SfM3LJeOCDmFUKjfDKcZwL2m6wAd4EYDX0ug68hJvbto5XU~bjznvu3aOiOpuUBI16DfFEt5ImCuUjx670PGLoDKr-yGh-8A2YziaVOV-OeEnFrsQEg0YQvJz6myDuOePdRChCHZjdCdk5T8B26lp5SBzaTNAazRh5uC~IWp9n7Ouw~llnnvmVr0GTbWUUgg-FuKw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","South Carolina Legislature","date","2025-03-12T00:00:00Z","article","Susan Lovelace, executive director of the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, briefed the Senate Finance subcommittee on the consortium’s mission, membership and a modest recurring funding request.

Lovelace described the consortium as a multi-institution program that generates science-based information to support coastal residents, visitors and marine-resource management. She said the consortium is made up of Clemson, Coastal Carolina, College of Charleston, Francis Marion University, Medical University of South Carolina, South Carolina State, The Citadel, University of South Carolina and SCDNR, and noted the program is one of 34 Sea Grant programs nationally.

On finances, Lovelace told the committee the consortium received about $4,500,000 in federal money last year and is required to provide one dollar of match for every two federal dollars. \"We are required to provide $1 to match every $2 of federal funds,\" she said, and explained that research institutions contribute by waiving indirect-cost recoveries on grants, which the program counts as matching resources.

The consortium’s 2025 request is an $83,000 recurring appropriation to fund an administrative assistant position in consortium administration. Lovelace said the House budget included the consortium’s federal funding amount but did not include the requested FTE. She also reported the program completed a six-year federal review in December and was recertified.

When senators asked about research collaborations, Lovelace described a biennial research competition that solicits proposals to address constituency needs and the consortium’s practice of assembling research teams to pursue external grants that meet coastal needs.

No vote or committee action occurred during the brief Sea Grant presentation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","March 12, 2025 10:00 am Senate Finance Committee -- Finance Natural Resources and Economic Development Subcommittee Budget Hearing","oneSentenceSummary","Susan Lovelace, executive director of the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, told senators the program receives about $4.5 million in federal funds and is seeking $83,000 recurring to add administrative staff.","taxTitle","Finance, Standing, Senate, Committees, Legislative, South Carolina","taxId",17657,"location","South Carolina","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6277807,"State Port Authority reports steady volumes, Leatherman Terminal operating; requests $3 million for Jasper Ocean Terminal planning",1334,1452000,2786000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2646306-d3a02a0bf0dd2fe9ec20e047612b23f6&start=1452&end=2786","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2646306-d3a02a0bf0dd2fe9ec20e047612b23f6/thumbnail_1452000.jpg","/articles/6277807/South-Carolina/State-Port-Authority-reports-steady-volumes-Leatherman-Terminal-operating-requests-3-million-for-Jasper-Ocean-Terminal-planning","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6277807-a09dc2c48e9c665bfae6a5d92e7974e2/orig.mp4?Expires=1775391084&Signature=GrFsCvxONXkmAidgMWTPxw4Lhr29zdkice674JC3DQPIL8j8zFkPkJoeP0QGT8rFPyNCbJv46uSwOi~NGleljfHTElzG8a~ULCE-1W3SHNBJIyS1ZPkof4ZVZWZnguMdHSEdBUuI0NYj4-89qMVGxuNdR-HcWBd2o2WIGD1Az4hF19Gz3R-hm17hpB6DE049DvXFz4J5i5thjVFyLfswd23Rv9JXzj0i-40LMOt2Rk3Nbc2YBYM2CuMpoPbZ-4rAVYUKAgNxG64u-AADPhr2cIimodJcHRtBaBrFkDXq0gAG6-rcTGSa7lCV0AEbPYO2oIQwG3wedSZJ-wVvwkya4w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Barbara Melvin, president of the South Carolina State Port Authority, told the subcommittee the port finished fiscal 2024 with about 2.5 million TEUs and strong inland-port performance; she asked legislators to consider a $3,000,000 nonrecurring request for Jasper Ocean Terminal planning and noted a single date-change proviso related to the Cooper River bridal contribution.

Melvin said Wando Terminal handled roughly 1.2 million TEUs of the total and highlighted inland ports in Greer and Dillon, which she described as \"shining stars\" for fiscal 2024. She described Greer’s record of roughly 88,000 rail lifts and said the port expects to exceed that this year.

On infrastructure and litigation, Melvin summarized the Leatherman Terminal’s legal history and operational status. She said the terminal was returned to service in September after litigation and that the U.S. Supreme Court denied a rehearing of the Fourth Circuit decision. \"We had the terminal up and running in September just in time to take a lot of ships in that needed a home,\" Melvin said, and noted that three services currently call the Leatherman Terminal weekly with a potential fourth under discussion.

Melvin gave an update on the Navy base intermodal facility (the rail-connected terminal funded earlier with state support), saying construction began after a notice to proceed in 2023 and that the project is projected to open this summer. She reviewed port productivity metrics—crane moves per hour, average truck visit times and equipment availability—and said productivity compares favorably with national peers.

Melvin also discussed market dynamics. She said the port chose not to renew a home-port cruise contract when it concluded in December because the existing terminal would have required major investment and would not have been fiscally viable under the port’s agreement with the city. \"At the end of the deal, it would have been a losing deal for us overall,\" she said, while noting some smaller cruise ships have expressed interest in calling at a different facility.

Capital and planning requests Melvin mentioned include a $3,000,000 request to the governor and House for Jasper Ocean Terminal work, a state grant for a last-mile connector into Wando Terminal, and continued buildout of the purchased paper-mill site adjacent to North Charleston terminal. She also mentioned a proviso date change for the port’s contribution to the Cooper River bridal.

Senators asked about labor-contract developments and the port’s role in supporting forest-products export options such as bulk, chips or containers. Melvin said the recent maritime contract negotiations clarified hybrid-port language that benefits operations like Leatherman, and she said the port is in discussions with the forest-products industry about export logistics, fumigation needs and inland transportation costs.

Melvin closed by reiterating the economic impact of port investments for all four regions of the state and by thanking the committee for prior support; the subcommittee took no formal vote during her appearance.","Barbara Melvin, president of the South Carolina State Port Authority, told the subcommittee the port finished fiscal 2024 with about 2.5 million TEUs and strong inland-port performance; she requested $3,000,000 for Jasper Ocean Terminal planning and noted a proviso date change.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6277812,"Forestry Commission asks legislature for $11.16 million to shore up wildfire prevention, forest health and conservation",522,920000,1442000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2646306-d3a02a0bf0dd2fe9ec20e047612b23f6&start=920&end=1442","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2646306-d3a02a0bf0dd2fe9ec20e047612b23f6/thumbnail_920000.jpg","/articles/6277812/South-Carolina/Forestry-Commission-asks-legislature-for-1116-million-to-shore-up-wildfire-prevention-forest-health-and-conservation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6277812-737a07e1784ea552e621c708afa4ce11/orig.mp4?Expires=1775391084&Signature=mb4fjkBvhIbAi2tlCwzE4lnQR4rda0PuSCef2WWsX64DxP8va7tZIbolQlE-xwiniHCoU4MTshBVOpH7CprSnVgA0DxHVqGWkL~9Ly-hZocuGHtuH9yuZoN-uXp3HM0vdUW17SWxOiElr7j45yYfH7ZlcYL6QRvs1NXeVAk6IMrFuvzCIqEnnbs2~ROjyO3vNmRGT8i9DMqk2pFQkDMPtF3Z3XSWWkmaLoZmZMnhHQr1SKpTD-EB5yHYF6Nt1X0B4HyOwYodQBx319QWDQ3Tx99HpivQ1~NVspnzdKa6e6Z7j36FVkgUnbbWGePC6KpjkNXL4WWRFnSbeUBUB5ajtQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Finance Subcommittee on Natural Resources and Economic Development heard from Scott Phillips, state forester and executive of the South Carolina Forestry Commission, who outlined an $11,160,000 budget request that he said would address personnel, technology, wildfire prevention and land conservation needs.

Phillips told the committee the request includes seven recurring priorities, four nonrecurring priorities and one capital ask. \"Our number 1 priority is $345,000 recurring, to retain our wildfire prevention staff,\" Phillips said, adding that federal funding for program staff is shifting to competitive grants and will no longer cover salaries. He said the commission needs to convert three prevention positions to stable state funding to avoid losing them.

The request matters because, Phillips told senators, losing prevention staff and other field capacity could increase the risk of larger wildfires and property damage. He pointed to recent fires, saying the commission’s newly funded single-engine air tankers were deployed on the Arcadia Plantation Fire in Georgetown County and the Covington Drive Fire in Myrtle Beach. \"We've used those assets on multiple fires including the Arcadia Plantation Fire in Georgetown County,\" Phillips said, noting the aircraft took to the sky earlier this year.

Among the recurring priorities Phillips listed: $343,000 for recruitment and retention (including salary adjustments for mechanics and an added supervisory FTE); $550,000 for information technology and recurring software-as-a-service costs for computer-aided dispatch; $337,000 for forest health capacity; and $170,000 recurring (and $3.8 million nonrecurring) to expand prescribed fire capacity and contract crews. He also described a conservation package totaling $5,400,000 (about $354,000 recurring and roughly $5,000,000 nonrecurring/capital) to enable the agency to hold conservation easements and act quickly when large federal or private projects emerge.

Phillips said the commission received a $50,000,000 grant from the U.S. Forest Service for a 62,000-acre project spanning Marion, Williamsburg and Georgetown counties, which he described as the largest conservation project ever done by a state agency. \"This past year, we received a $50,000,000 grant from US Forest Service, to do a 62,000 acre project in Marion County, Senator Williams, Williamsburg County, and Georgetown County,\" Phillips said, and added the commission anticipated closing on the project in September.

Senators pressed Phillips on federal funding trends and local coordination. When asked whether the commission expects less federal program funding in the future, Phillips said federal grant programs are shifting toward competitive awards and that the commission has been moving some positions from federal to state funding \"very successfully with the help of this subcommittee.\" On the difference a wildfire-preparation program can make, Phillips contrasted two Myrtle Beach-area neighborhoods, saying one was a certified Firewise community with a shaded fuel break and sustained no home losses while another that had not participated saw extensive home damage.

Senators also asked about the commission’s conservation role alongside other state agencies. Phillips described a standing conservation roundtable that includes Parks, Recreation & Tourism, the Department of Natural Resources, the South Carolina Conservation Bank, the Office of Resilience, Department of Agriculture and other partners; he said the agencies issued a joint memo to the committee this year outlining conservation budget requests.

Phillips summarized the final items: an economic development FTE to recruit forest-product businesses and stabilize markets for forest landowners, and no new provisos this year. He said his agency is requesting equipment and vehicle nonrecurring components tied to personnel requests when applicable.

No formal vote or committee action was taken during the presentation; funding decisions will be considered later in the legislative budget process.

The subcommittee’s discussion recorded questions about county receptivity to wildfire planning, use of Firewise community practices, and the need to shift stable funding for mission-critical positions as federal program dollars decline.","State Forester Scott Phillips told the Senate Finance subcommittee the South Carolina Forestry Commission requests $11,160,000 in this budget cycle to convert federal positions to state-funded FTEs, expand prescribed fire capacity, strengthen forest health monitoring and support a major conservation project backed by a U.S. Forest Service grant.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Sea Grant Consortium seeks $83,000 recurring for administration; federal 1:2 match remains in effect

State Port Authority reports steady volumes, Leatherman Terminal operating; requests $3 million for Jasper Ocean Terminal planning

Forestry Commission asks legislature for $11.16 million to shore up wildfire prevention, forest health and conservation