Oconee County advances changes to Conservation Bank ordinance amid strong public objections

Oconee County Council on Tuesday advanced an amendment to the county's Conservation Bank ordinance (ordinance 2025-12) on second reading after an extended public comment period in which local landowners, conservation groups and stakeholders urged the council to keep previously donated funds restricted to permanent land protection.

The measure would amend Oconee County Code sections 2-398 through 2-409 governing the Oconee County Conservation Bank (OCCB). Dozens of residents and representatives of nonprofit stakeholders, including Upstate Forever and advocates involved in the Keowee-Toxaway relicensing, told council members the OCCB was established and funded by private donations specifically for conservation easements and fee-simple land protection.

Those speakers said redirecting bank funds to a broader list of activities would breach donors' expectations and could jeopardize future contributions from major donors such as Duke Energy. "It is incumbent upon this council to respect and uphold the restrictions donors understood to be true when contributing to the bank," said Chris Starker, speaking on behalf of Upstate Forever.

Why it matters: several speakers tied the bank's original funding to negotiations around the Keowee-Toxaway (KT) hydroelectric relicensing and a negotiated contribution from Duke Energy. Stakeholders said those contributions were intended for permanent land conservation; several warned that changing the ordinance could put future funding at risk and asked that any Duke funds be segregated or returned.

Public comment and stakeholder warnings

Emily…