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Senate subcommittee hears criticism of House Bill 3309 over permitting timelines, utility oversight and energy-efficiency shortfalls
Summary
Witnesses and advocates told a Senate special committee that House Bill 3309 would shorten permitting timelines, limit appeals and roll back Public Service Commission oversight while doing too little to prioritize energy efficiency or protect frontline communities.
At a Senate special committee meeting, staff and witnesses discussed House Bill 3309, a revision of last year’s energy proposals, focusing on changes to permitting timelines, appeals, Public Service Commission authority and energy-efficiency policy.
Breeden, a committee staff member, briefed members on how 33‑09 differs from prior proposals and from H.51‑18, saying the bill keeps the Public Service Commission’s seven‑member structure and requires the PSC to issue an order on major utility facility siting rather than treating silence as automatic approval. Breeden also summarized changes to pre‑application meetings, appeal pathways through the Administrative Law Court and expanded PSC consideration of economic impacts to water as well as electric utilities.
Zakia Mickle, representing the South Carolina Energy Justice Coalition and the Sierra Club of South Carolina, told the panel the conversation around new generation has been mischaracterized. “The majority of the energy our utility friends are seeking to generate is to support industrial growth and large data…
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