News

Local Residents Give Their Thoughts On Santee Cooper

South Carolina residents and lawmakers are gearing up for the state’s 2020 legislative session beginning in January and the many hot-button issues that are up for debate this year.

One of the issues at top of mind is that of Santee Cooper.

In January, lawmakers will review recommendations for the state-owned utility, and make a decision on the future of the debt-riddled utility company.

With billions of dollars of debt that customers could be on the hook for, many customers are expressing their concern.

Letters To The Editor

Santee Cooper Bailout? – South Strand News

“Santee Cooper is again proving it’s an unaccountable state agency operating in the shadows. For years, the state-owned utility has promised that South Carolina taxpayers won’t have to bear the burden of the nuclear debt. So much so that one of its “Facts are Facts” blog posts is titled “Taxpayers Are Not Responsible For Our Debt.” To quote the post, “FACT: Our debt will be paid off through our revenues, and not by tax dollars.” Lies. Last month Santee Cooper filed a lawsuit against the SC State Fiscal Accountability Authority and the SC Insurance Reserve Fund in an effort to recover the money it lost in the V.C. Summer nuclear fiasco. Both are state agencies. So that means Santee Cooper is seeking a bailout from the state, plain and simple. Many have suspected that this would happen. Santee Cooper kept denying it. The truth always comes out. Santee Cooper can’t fix itself and will have to depend on taxpayers to dig itself out.”

– Lee Padgett, Georgetown

Letter To The Editor: Santee Cooper – Charleston Chronicle

“Since 2012, Santee Cooper, the state-owned and largest utility, has increased rates by 15% to build the VC Summer nuclear plant that ultimately failed. The immediate impact felt by laid-off workers and the local rural community was horrendous enough but the fall-out will continue for years to come because of the lingering debt of $10 billion. Rates are expected to increase unless major changes take place.

This is a real negative impact on low-income, marginalized communities where regular, everyday folks working 2-3 jobs, lack transportation make real-life decisions about keeping the lights on. Santee Cooper is conducting a getting to “know the CEO” tour of our state with “movers and shakers” but where is the concern for those folks who can’t afford the admission fee for private receptions or closed forums.”

– Marilyn Hemingway, Charleston

Easy Choice On Santee Cooper – South Strand News

“Now is the perfect opportunity for legislators on both sides of the aisle to sell failed utility Santee Cooper and protect ratepayers from skyrocketing rates.”

– Thomas Herron, Myrtle Beach

Santee Cooper Needs To Be Honest With Ratepayers – Summerville Journal Scene

“Santee Cooper is at it again, trying to pull the wool over all of our eyes. The new executives are trying very hard to make you believe they can pay down the $7 billion-plus of debt without raising rates. A few weeks ago they said they’ve got enough money on hand to start paying down the debt. In that same announcement, they said they are also going to freeze rates for the next five years.”

– Claire Robinson, Columbia

News

Santee Cooper’s Legal Costs For Current And Former Employees Reaches Over $1 Million

Featured Image: The State

Santee Cooper is, once again, catching heat for its reckless spending.

Recent reports obtained by the Post and Courier show that Santee Cooper has racked up $1.7 million in legal fees by covering the cost of attorney fees for eight current and former employees, executives, and board members.

This comes after recent concerns of the state-owned utility’s decision to hire a new CEO and Deputy CEO with a million dollar a year and $560,000 a year salary, respectively, while in billions of dollars of debt.

According to the Post and Courier, the legal costs can be traced back to late 2017 when the unfinished V.C. Summer plant was abandoned by the state-owned utility and continues to grow as of last month when the records were obtained.

Not included in the $1.7 million, are the funds being spent on attorneys to represent the utility itself.

While the records don’t show the exact work being performed, a spokeswoman for Santee Cooper told the Post and Courier, the costs were tied to civil lawsuits against the utility.

One of those lawsuits pits the state-owned utility against its largest customer, the electric cooperatives who purchase their power from Santee Cooper. In the lawsuit, the cooperatives claim Santee Cooper kept the problems of the V.C. Summer project hidden from them and are suing so their customers won’t be held responsible for paying off the debt. However, as of this week, South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal put the lawsuit on hold further delaying the outcome.

More recently, Dominion Energy attorneys sent a letter to the state-owned utility demanding Santee Cooper pay for a portion of Dominion’s costs for the failed V.C. Summer project. The letter referred to the agreement between SCE&G and Santee Cooper to build the abandoned reactors, a project Santee Cooper owned 45 percent of.

As Santee Cooper’s $4 billion debt continues to increase by around one million dollars a day, the utility finds itself owing even more money while continuing to spend causing the millions of direct-serve and cooperative customers throughout the state to worry about the future of utility rates.

Featured

Dorchester Residents Get Second Chance To Bring New Parks And Libraries To The Area

A group of local residents are asking for Dorchester residents to “Vote Yes” to Dorchester County Parks + Libraries.

The group, led by a few friends from the Summerville area, is hoping Dorchester County residents will turn out to the polls on November 5 and approve funding for new parks and libraries.

Back in 2016, residents voted in favor of a referendum to build new parks and libraries in Dorchester County. However, it was thrown out by the South Carolina Supreme Court, stating it was illegal for both the parks and libraries to be one combined referendum.

Instead, the court said voters should have the ability to approve one without the other.

Now, three years later, residents will have the chance to vote on two separate referendums and once again approve funding for new parks and libraries.

So, what exactly are the two referendums?

Parks

According to the “Vote Yes” website, the parks “preserve more green space, stops more development and creates recreation facilities” for residents to enjoy.

If approved, the parks referendum will preserve open space, create a trail system, control flooding, and protect the Ashley River. Additionally, it will build and improve the Davis-Bailey Park in St. George and the Ashley River and Pine Track Parks in Summerville.

Among those developments and improvements of the park include baseball fields, playgrounds, adult fitness facilities, ponds, paved walking trails, and more.

Libraries

If approved, the libraries referendum will include the design and construction of new library facilities in the Summerville, North Charleston, and Ridgeville areas.

The library network will include study areas, public meeting rooms, family-friendly zones, and provide opportunities for early literacy, test preparation, and workforce development.

Voting is less than a month away, what are your thoughts on the new referendums?

Featured

Legislative Action Required for Santee Cooper. Here’s Why:

Santee Cooper surprised Governor McMaster’s office and lawmakers when they announced their new business forecast early last month. The forecast involves phasing out coal plants, transitioning towards solar and natural gas power and a five-year rate freeze for customers. While parts of the forecast are positive, such as a transition to solar and natural gas, it leaves many questions unanswered, with concern over the company’s $7 billion debt still looming for the millions of customers that receive power from the utility.

An editorial recently published in the Post and Courier breaks down the realities of the forecast and explains that legislative action is required for Santee Cooper to actually reform. The editorial states, “If Santee Cooper is serious about turning over a new leaf, then the reform proposal it submits needs to include more than Mr. Bonsall’s business plan. It needs to include an actual reform plan, one with proposed legislation to make all of those changes he supports.”

In Santee Cooper’s current structure, the governor cannot remove individual directors unless they break the law or commit one of the listed offenses, meaning board members cannot be removed for poor decisions or hiding information from cooperatives and state regulators. The board can also raise rates with no approval or oversight from the South Carolina Public Oversight Service Commission, unlike other privately owned utilities in the state.

The editorial concludes by emphasizing that nothing laid out in the proposed business forecast would stop Santee Cooper from reverting back to its systematic and cultural problems that led the utility to the billions of debt it currently faces and the other bad decisions in its past.

“In fact, in assessing the proposals, legislators should consider the possibility that if the utility manages to stop a potential sale, it could go back to its old ways.”

Without legislative action, these initiatives could easily be reversed if lawmakers decide not to sell the state-owned utility. For example, Santee Cooper’s new CEO, Mark Bonsall, told the Post and Courier’s editorial staff that he opposes letting the PSC set rates, but would support a law requiring customer input before raising rates.

The General Assembly is expected to be presented bids for the potential sale of Santee Cooper as early as January 15. It is essential that all proposals are assessed thoroughly and expeditiously to ensure the millions of customers are given the best option for the future of the utility and the future of their rates.

Featured

Santee Cooper Intervenes As The City of Goose Creek Seeks To Purchase Power On the Open Market for Much Less

Featured Image: ABC News 4

Goose Creek is exploring the idea of creating a municipal electric utility to serve areas annexed into the city. A driving factor in the decision is Century Aluminum which is located right outside of Goose Creek city limits where high costs of power are threatening the company.

Century Aluminum currently purchases 75% of its power on the open market and the remaining 25% from Santee Cooper. According to a Count on News 2 report, the power the company purchases from Santee Cooper is almost double the cost compared to that purchased on the open market. Due to the high power costs, Century Aluminum had to close half of the facility’s operations in 2015.

The high costs of power and the problems they created within Goose Creek led to City Council discussions regarding the creation of their own utility which would buy power on the open market at half the cost of the power purchased from Santee Cooper. The utility would serve the nearly 5-thousand acres owned by Century Aluminum annexed into Goose Creek including the company’s smelter site and an undeveloped part of an industrial park.

On September 10, Goose Creek City Council approved a referendum to ask voters if they want to begin operating an electric utility to serve Century Aluminium and to approve the annexation of the 5,000 acres of Century property. If approved, the company would pay the city property taxes and a business license fee. City Council members believe this is a great opportunity to bring in large amounts of revenue for the city.

Santee Cooper officials responded swiftly making the claim that what is being proposed by Goose Creek is illegal, citing a similar 2004 annexation case involving South Carolina Electric & Gas vs. the Town of Awendaw.

Another issue arises with the fact that Santee Cooper owns all of the substation and transmission lines at the property. Santee Cooper’s next steps are still unknown, but it is clear the state-owned utility doesn’t want Goose Creek purchasing its power on the open market for nearly half the price.

Featured

Summerville Town Council Candidate Terry Jenkins Says He’s ‘Fed Up’ With Political Games

It’s Fall, y’all — which, for better or worse, means it is officially campaign season for politicians and would-be elected officials.

And while our radios, televisions, and our streaming devices will almost certainly be inundated with political content and advertisements over the weeks ahead, it appears atleast one local candidate will be focusing on traditional methods by hitting the streets (literally) with good old-fashioned yard signs.

Terry Jenkins, Summerville native and former Town Council member, has evidently had it with the political games — and it looks like he will no longer be sitting on the sidelines this election season. In fact, over the weekend, Summerville residents noticed the following signs popping up all around the area…

A quick Terry Jenkins search will bring you to his campaign website, where the following snippet stood out…

“I’m running for Summerville Town Council because I’m completely fed up with what I’m seeing from our “leaders.” They have way more interest in playing politics than getting things done for our town.

Summerville is amazing. Everyone wants to be here. But that’s causing a lot of problems. More people are coming whether we like it or not and the politicians are not preparing our town for growth. That’s why you’re sitting in traffic for hours every week.

Let’s stop the political games being played and work harder to fix the problems being created by astronomical growth.”

Jenkin’s hopes to show he is a candidate with a plan to help manage the Lowcountry’s exploding population and to tackle the task of fixing our roads.

Take a look at the website yourself and let us know what you think.