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Tackling Tough Issues in the African-American Community, from Coronavirus to Santee Cooper

Featured Image: Georgetown Harbor/Marina.com

A Georgetown-based organization finds itself uniquely positioned to deal with a crucial aspect of the coronavirus pandemic: its unequal impact on marginalized communities. For weeks, experts have been reporting that COVID-19 is affecting people of color at a higher rate.  According to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control,

African Americans account for 41% of the positive COVID-19 cases in the state.

Stepping up to address that disparity is the Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce. Founded by Georgetown businesswoman Marilyn Hemingway in 2018, the organization promotes entrepreneurship in the coastal African-American community, offering resources and information that help the community thrive and overcome challenges. Today that means dealing with a pandemic that is hitting the community hard, physically, and financially.

“We’re in the business of helping our Gullah communities grow economically and this is even more crucial during the coronavirus pandemic,” Hemingway recently told the Charleston Chronicle.

The Gullah Geechee community stretches along coastal areas and the sea islands of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida — from Pender County, North Carolina, to St. John’s County, Florida.

Through weekly, online forums available through the Chamber’s Facebook page, Hemingway interviews a variety of guests offering advice to small businesses trying to stay afloat, gain access to assistance, as well as health and wellness tips.

Hemingway has also taken a strong stand on environmental and energy issues and has been a frequent voice advocating for the sale of Santee Cooper.  In a letter published by FITSNews, she wrote,

“We know that Santee Cooper’s reform plan places an unfair burden on a marginalized community that can least afford to fix the problem.  Problems created by a Board of Directors and management that does not reflect the demographics of the state.”  Hemingway recently submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for Santee Cooper’s record on diversity management programs and has launched a petition advocating for a sale of Santee Cooper.

Hemingway’s online talk shows, called “The Gathering Place, feature guests talking about a range of issues from telemedicine, health insurance to aid for struggling businesses, and are held every Sunday and Wednesday at 4.p.m.

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McMaster Takes Steps to Reopen Businesses

Feature Image Source: WCIV

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster took steps to reopen the state’s beaches and businesses this week, announcing on Monday that he will allow public beaches, docks, piers and ramps to open. Additionally, McMaster modified existing executive orders to allow some nonessential businesses to reopen, including department stores, florists, furniture stores, book stores, and also churches. All businesses that have reopened must enforce strict social distancing measures, both for staff and customers.

At this time, South Carolina schools are still closed indefinitely. McMaster also lifted restrictions on restaurants, allowing outdoor dining services with social distancing guidelines. Restaurants opening back up will need to space tables for outdoor seating at least eight feet apart, and seat no more than eight people per table. Additionally, all tables, chairs and seats must be sanitized after every customer is finished using them, and social and physical distancing guidelines should be followed by staff.

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Santee Cooper South Carolina Coronavirus Funding

Santee Cooper’s Actions Caused Certain Senators To Derail Emergency Coronavirus Funding Legislation

The South Carolina Legislature was called back earlier this week for what was supposed to be a quick one-day session to pass a piece of emergency legislation that would help prevent a government shutdown and provide emergency funding to address the coronavirus crisis. But a familiar roadblock caused that plan to crumble.

While this was expected to be a quick vote, a resolution in the legislation involving Santee Cooper prevented senators from coming to an agreement, while House members decried action taken by Santee Cooper in recent days to deceive the legislature into believing they had negotiated a deal with Central Electric cooperative.

The latest move by Santee Cooper has angered many including Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina CEO, Mike Couick and Speaker of the House Jay Lucas.

Couick was quoted as saying “I grew up watching ACC basketball and Dean Smith mastering the game of four corners. If Santee Cooper is an expert at nothing else, it is an expert at delay, and delay of reform and transformation…”

In a letter to Santee Cooper’s leadership, Speaker Lucas wrote, “If state law gave me or the House of Representatives the authority, I would seek the immediate unqualified removal of each member of the Santee Cooper Board and the dismissal, for cause, of the entire senior management. Unfortunately for the people of South Carolina, I do not have that authority. However, I do predict and will applaud your ultimate removal from your positions in the appropriate manner.”

You can read the full letter from Speaker Lucas here.

The proposed emergency legislation included plans for COVID-19 funding, education funding for teacher salaries, funding to ensure South Carolina primaries can still take place safely on June 9, and other necessary government-funded operations that would allow the state to continue to run in the case that a budget isn’t passed before the start of the next fiscal year.

It also included a provision to postpone the debate on Santee Cooper and prevent the utility from engaging in any long-term contracts of more than a year until the work on what should be done with the state-owned utility is fully explored.

As reported by the AP, Santee Cooper spokeswoman Mollie Gore apologized for their actions in an email calling the utility’s words ‘presumptive and premature’.

Moreover, Governor McMaster slammed Santee Cooper on Twitter, saying, “There appears to be no tactic or action too deceitful or reckless for the leaders of Santee Cooper to employ,” accusing the utility of exploiting the current pandemic to avoid a sale or any type of reform.

Senators, on the other hand, debated the resolution for over five hours only to come back with an amended resolution that sent it back to the House for review. Certain senators such as Senator Rankin and Senator Grooms refused to approve the emergency legislation needed to keep the state running because of their support for Santee Cooper and did not want to put any limitations on the utility despite their history of mismanagement and lack of transparency.

Currently, there are plans for either the House or Senate to return to take further action.

Eat & Drink

How to Donate to Charleston Workers in the Service Industry

Following a mandatory suspension of dine-in services by Governor McMasters, many local restaurants are struggling and can use the community’s help. Charleston City Paper has been hard at work compiling resources that the public can use to give back, help local restaurants and service workers, and get a good bite to eat in the meantime.

For those looking to directly support restaurant staff that have been affected by reduced hours and closures, the website Serviceindustry.tips allows you to tip a random local worker in Charleston via Venmo or Cash App. Local blog Holy City Sinner has also started a “Virtual Tip Jar” to help Charleston food service workers where people can tip random workers via a spreadsheet.

Additionally, multiple restaurants have created fundraisers to help staff and raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts. Local restaurant group The Midnight Society has created digital phone wallpapers available to purchase that benefit eateries like Early Bird Diner and Park Pizza Co. Butcher & Bee has created a “Pay It Forward” campaign making provision gift bags with essentials like eggs, milk, and vegetables. These bags, available with a $10 donation, will be given to unemployed restaurant employees.

Those who are out of work can stop by Lewis Barbecue for something to eat. They will be serving 100 free meals every Thursday to displaced workers in the food and beverage industry (use the promo code “CHSstrong.”) Local hot sauce company Red Clay is also donating 15% of online sales to displaced industry employees, and providing provision bags to Butcher & Bee.

For those self-distancing on an empty stomach, multiple local restaurants can also be enjoyed via take-out apps like UberEats, Doordash and Grubhub, as well as via curbside pickup to limit potential exposure. Click here for a  continuously updated list of restaurants that are still open.

Featured

Santee Cooper Sale Negotiations NextEra

Santee Cooper Sale Negotiations Still On

South Carolina House of Representative members discussed their three-part plan to protect ratepayers by working with the Senate to renegotiate with Florida-based NextEra Energy while reforming the debt-riddled utility. Meanwhile, senators started putting together their plan to reform state-owned Santee Cooper.

Critics are skeptical of any type of Santee Cooper real “reform” and want to see the utility sold to a company that can manage Santee Cooper into the future.

House Speaker Jay Lucas laid out this plan and a path towards a sale in an op-ed in the Post & Courier on March 2, 2020.

“With the speaker’s plan and well-articulated goals, we have a way forward. What is not known at this point is whether we can muster the courage and the creativity to put aside parochial concerns and do what is required,” state Rep. Weston Newton.

Both the House and Senate discussed wanting to fire the current Santee Cooper board for their role in approving Santee Cooper’s involvement in the V.C. Summer Project as well as providing additional oversight and protections for its ratepayers.

The South Carolina Department of Administration, in a report released to the legislature, found that “Santee Cooper does not have a history of effecting the kinds of changes contemplated by the reform plan, so its ability to achieve the benefits of the reform plan remains unclear.”

Reform is not a long term solution to this massive problem that the state of South Carolina is currently facing.

What are your thoughts on lawmakers creating a plan to reform Santee Cooper?

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South Carolina Senators’ Latest Vote On Santee Cooper Offers No Solution

South Carolina Senators’ Latest Vote On Santee Cooper Offers No Solution

Just like that and we’re back to square one with Santee Cooper.

Going into last week South Carolinians were hopeful lawmakers would give a direction on what the future of debt-riddled, state-owned Santee Cooper would look like.

However, after Thursday’s vote, it doesn’t look like that’s the case.

Lawmakers were given three different proposals recommended by the Department of Administration, one to purchase the utility submitted by Florida-based NextEra Energy, one to manage submitted by Virginia-based Dominion Energy, and a reform plan from Santee Cooper itself.

On Thursday, the House of Ways and Means Committee rejected the three proposals presented by the Department of Administration, then moved to negotiate further with NextEra on a sale and move ahead with extensive reforms to Santee Cooper in the interim. Meanwhile, the Senate Finance Committee revealed their decision which was ultimately to give Santee Cooper more time to reform even though the plan didn’t address Santee Cooper’s billions of dollars of debt. Sen. Leatherman appointed a special committee lead by Sen. Setzler and Alexander to take a closer look at the reform plan and see what can be done.

South Carolinians hoping to be free from the burden of Santee Cooper’s debt and mismanagement were likely disappointed by the Senate’s seeming rejection of plans for a solution.

Both, the House and Senate’s decision removed Dominion’s management plan, which also failed to address the billions of dollars of debt owed by Santee Cooper, as an option.

While some senators are holding out hope for Santee Cooper, House members are looking to negotiate a better deal with NextEra that will protect Santee Cooper’s two million direct-serve and electrical cooperative customers and South Carolina taxpayers.

Santee Cooper critics are concerned with the utility’s lack of oversight and years of wasting their customer’s money on failed projects, board member retreats, legal fees, and high-paid executives and golden parachutes.

Michael Couick, CEO of The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, Santee Cooper’s largest customer, told senators “They [Santee Cooper] just don’t care.” U.S. News reported that the electric cooperatives are disgusted with Santee Cooper’s treatment and the utility reportedly ignored warnings from the cooperatives about the V.C. Summer project.

Couick went on to say “This is how they make money. They charge what they spend.”

The current reform plan doesn’t address the current debt fully, only cost-cutting measures such as workforce reduction and plant closures, adding to concerns that customers and taxpayers will have to continue paying off the debt through increased rates and taxes.

The current fear among critics is that this reform plan leaves room for Santee Cooper to not change and leaves its ratepayers and customers with a debt burden too large thereby making the company unable to make necessary upgrades and changes in order to have a viable and strong utility.

House members hope that in negotiating a better deal with NextEra who is already promising to resolve the utility’s debt and provide nearly $1 billion in ratepayer relief, the state can move past the largest financial disaster in South Carolina history, move on to other issues, and save customers and taxpayers.

In a recent report from Forbes, Palmetto Promise Institute Chairman Phil Hughes was quoted saying “The offer from NextEra is very generous and resolves all debt. Accepting this offer will allow for real ratepayer relief and taxpayer protection.”

So what happens now?

South Carolinians, will, unfortunately, have to wait even longer to find out what will happen as the House and Senate try to come to a decision, all the while, Santee Cooper’s debt, which increases by around a million dollars each day, will continue to grow and other important issues like education will continue to take a backseat to this issue.

A spokesperson for NextEra was reported by The State as saying they’re open to negotiations.

While House members look to negotiate with NextEra, senators have been tasked with helping improve Santee Cooper’s reform plan. However, critics of a Santee Cooper reform are questioning whether real reform is possible even with legislation and what the government’s role should be in the utility business.

 

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santee cooper class action lawsuit

A Small Win For Santee Cooper Direct-Serve And Electrical Cooperative Customers

While Santee Cooper’s millions of direct-serve and electrical cooperative customers await a decision from lawmakers on the future of the state-owned utility, a trial date has been set for the ongoing lawsuit between Santee Cooper and its customers.

Last week, former South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice, special Judge Jean Toal, set the trial date for April 20.

The decision was a significant blow to debt-riddled Santee Cooper, which will now give lawyers representing the millions of Santee Cooper customers time to go through tens of thousands of documents that were turned over by Santee Cooper just one day before the trial date was set.

Santee Cooper customers filed the lawsuit in August 2017 seeking refunds for the millions they had already paid and to put an end to the continual payments they were being charged for the failed V.C. Summer project.

For years, customers have paid extra fees on their monthly bills.  Santee Cooper spent approximately $4.7 billion on the failed nuclear project and rely only on their customers to pay the company’s debt.

It was just last month that U.S. Judge Terry Wooten sent the lawsuit back to state court to be heard by special Judge Jean Toal.

Judge Toal’s decision also allowed the case to become a class-action lawsuit allowing for many more people to be able to seek refunds. Also in her decision, Judge Toal did not limit the potential monetary penalties and suggested that Santee Cooper should find a way to settle the case so that a trial could be avoided.

Meanwhile, Santee Cooper continues to rack up legal fees to fight back, adding even more to the billions of debt already owed and being paid by its customers.

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santee cooper discussions 2020

Discussions About Santee Cooper Continue

Featured Image: Charleston City Paper

We’re two weeks into South Carolina’s 2020 legislative session and the talk around what to do with state-owned Santee Cooper continues.

The latest to speak out on the issue is founder and CEO of the Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce, Marilyn Hemingway, who was reported saying “Santee Cooper has forgotten its mission of providing low-cost services”, by The Chronicle.

During her interview, Hemingway referenced both the $250 million loss in 2009 after the state-owned utility pulled the plug on the Pee-Dee coal plant before construction finished as well as the billions of dollars wasted during the 2017 abandonment of the V.C. Summer project.

Furthering her point, she alluded to the millions of dollars spent in legal fees after these projects and the newly appointed executives who are paid more than any other state agency, $2.4 million annually.

On top of the overwhelming amount of evidence that points to the wasteful spending, Governor McMaster’s office released a statement stating “Paying off Santee Cooper’s debt will cost direct-serve customers in Horry, Georgetown, and Berkeley counties about $6,200 per household. It will cost customers of the 20 electric cooperatives who distribute Santee Cooper’s power about $4,200 per household.”

The statement left many confused after hearing from Santee Cooper this summer that it would be freezing rates. However, the latest move from Santee Cooper points to this claim as ringing false. The state-owned utility recently filed a motion to stop any reference to future rate hikes during their current class-action lawsuit, hoping to keep jury members in the dark. Critics say the move is similar to Santee Cooper’s lack of transparency during the V.C. Summer fiasco, which also kept ratepayers in the dark.

As lawmakers look at the proposals put in front of them, South Carolina residents, like Hemingway, are recognizing the inevitability of rate hikes if no change is made.

The statement released by Governor McMaster’s office continues by stating the “Governor instructed each of the interested purchasers that they will not consider any proposal which saddles the ratepayers or taxpayers with any of Santee Cooper’s $4.3 billion nuclear construction debt” and that they must provide the state with the best solution possible, one which protects ratepayers while recognizing the valuable contributions of current and former employees of Santee Cooper.”

It is unclear what lawmakers will decide to do with the state-owned utility; however, it is clear that millions of South Carolinians are at risk of increased utility rates and may not even know not it.

Hemingway concluded:  “From our point of view, we should start over.  Now is the time for South Carolina to show some leadership.”