SC Senate passes bill to 'reform,' not sell, embattled state-owned utility Santee Cooper
COLUMBIA — Defenders of Santee Cooper scored a victory April 22 when state senators voted to reform, but not sell, South Carolina’s embattled power and water utility.
Senators’ 44-1 vote on the compromise capped a three-day floor debate that centered on who should lead Santee Cooper as it moves on from its $4 billion nuclear blunder and how to make the state agency more accountable to utility watchdogs and its customers.
They ultimately agreed to replace Santee Cooper’s entire 12-member board, three at a time annually, starting in 2022, with one potential exception. The measure allows a reappointment only to directors who came aboard after Jan. 1, 2018 — six months after the utility bailed on its jointly owned nuclear power project. One board member fits that description: Charles Leaird of Sumter.
Setting that date had nothing to do with protecting anyone, but rather to toss, over time, anyone involved in the decisions contributing to the failure, said Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield.
Read more: https://www.postandcourier.com/columbia/sc-senate-passes-bill-to-reform-not-sell-embattled-state-owned-utility-santee-cooper/article_b6996b7c-9c5c-11eb-9322-6347ec708c9f.html