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Committee approves airport land‑use regulations to protect State Aviation Fund investments
Summary
The House Regulations Committee approved rules formalizing grant eligibility and coordinating state aeronautics staff with local planning to reduce incompatible development near public airports; supporters cited Jasper County runway relocation as a costly example and said local zoning authority remains intact.
The House Regulations, Administrative Procedures, Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Committee voted to approve Document 54 06, a package of regulations the agency said will formalize eligibility for the State Aviation Fund and implement existing statutory protections for South Carolina’s public airports.
The regulation, presented by Gary, explains how the State Aviation Fund will administer grants and ties local planning officials’ implementation of compatible‑land‑use ordinances to eligibility for state funding. Gary said the rules do not create new policy or expand agency authority but implement requirements already in Title 55 and Title 6.
“These regulations do not create new policy or expand agency authority,” Gary said, adding they are intended to “provide clarity, consistency, and transparency in how public funds are awarded and managed.” He told the committee the rules are a response to recent legislative oversight and audit recommendations.
Members questioned whether local zoning authority would be overridden. Gary said local governments retain zoning control but that failure to adopt compatible‑land‑use ordinances could make an airport ineligible for state grant funding. He cited a high‑cost example in Jasper County where a school built close to an approach led to a roughly $15,000,000 runway relocation, an outcome he called “striking” and illustrative of the stakes involved.
Several members also raised Greenville as an example of an urban airport with special circumstances; Gary said the department is reviewing a draft memorandum of understanding with the City of Greenville and expects to work toward an agreeable solution.
The committee approved Document 54 06 by voice/roll call; the clerk recorded the outcome as approved and the tally announced in committee was 9 to 0.
The regulation will now be implemented by the agency under the stated statutory framework; the committee did not direct further action. The chair closed the discussion and moved to the next item.
