Columbia Regional Business Report March 20, 2019 By Staff Report The S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce will hold six town halls across the state to foster public discussion on the potential sale of state-owned utility Santee Cooper. Santee Cooper, co-owner of the failed V.C. Summer nuclear project along with…
Santee Cooper: No plan to pay off $4B nuke debt. Officials pay $250,000 a month for advice
Lexington County Chronicle By Jerry Bellune Santee Cooper officials say they have no $4 billion nuclear debt recovery plan. In what some call an astonishing admission, the officials who supply electricity for Mid-Carolina Electric members in Lexington County, also revealed they have been paying an investment banking firm $250,000 a…
Oil drilling near the beach is not a popular idea in SC, Winthrop poll finds
The State March 21, 2019 BY SAMMY FRETWELL Columbia—Not only do most South Carolina residents oppose oil drilling off the coast, but they also are against blasting the ocean with loud noises to locate petroleum deposits, a new Winthrop University poll says. The poll of 1,000 residents found that 56…
SC Senator introduces resolution pushing for sale of Santee Cooper
WIS-TV March 20, 2019 COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – A South Carolina state senator has introduced a joint resolution that would allow the governor to sell Santee Cooper. Sen. Harvey Peeler (R-Cherokee) introduced the resolution, S.678, that says Governor Henry McMaster will use the Department of Administration to conduct a competitive…
Statement on Santee Cooper’s 12% higher rates and joint resolution
PRESS STATEMENT Date: March 20, 2019 From: South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce Subject: Statement regarding Santee Cooper and joint resolution for sale Contact: Frank Knapp, President/CEO, 803-252-5733 (w), 803-600-6874 (c), fknapp@scsbc.org Statement regarding Santee Cooper’s 12+% higher rates and joint resolution The below is a statement by Frank…
Town Halls Announced to Discuss Sale of Santee Cooper. Start in Charleston April 2nd
PRESS RELEASE Date: March 20, 2019 From: South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce Subject: Town Halls Announced to Discuss Sale Santee Cooper Contact: Frank Knapp, President/CEO, 803-252-5733, 803-600-6874 (c), fknapp@scsbc.org Town Halls Announced to Discuss Sale of Santee Cooper Start in Charleston April 2nd (Columbia, SC) The South Carolina…
South Carolina makes its case on NBC against offshore oil exploration in the Atlantic
The March 17th NBC Nightly News featured a story on the Trump Administration’s efforts to open much of the Atlantic Coast to seismic airgun blasting to search for offshore oil. Interviews with those opposed and supportive of seismic testing were presented including one with Diane Hoskins of Oceana. South Carolina…
Chamber leader: State can’t dally on Santee Cooper
Lexington County Chronicle March 14, 2019 By Jerry Bellune State lawmakers must act swiftly on Santee Cooper’s $8 billion debt before it grows any larger. That must be done now, says SC Small Business Chamber CEO Frank Knapp. The problem became apparent in July of 2017 when taxpayer-owned Santee Cooper…
Opinion: Why Upstate ratepayers should support sale of Santee Cooper
The Greenville News March 9, 2019 As the saga of SCE&G’s failed nuclear project in Fairfield County became public in early 2017, Upstate South Carolina electric users might not have been paying attention. After all, the Upstate was primarily Duke Energy territory. Why should its utility ratepayers be concerned? Now nearly two years…
Letter: Santee Cooper debt issues
Florence News Journal March 13, 2019 South Carolinians who get their electricity from one of our state’s 20 co-ops (including Pee Dee and Santee Electric) and directly from Santee Cooper are in debt to the tune of over $8 billion. Half of that comes from Santee Cooper’s 45 percent ownership…