Press Release
April 9, 2024
Only one anti-consumer provision remains to be removed
Below is a statement of Frank Knapp Jr., president and CEO of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce, regarding the SC Senate Judiciary Committee actions today on House Bill 5118, SC Energy Security Act. The Committee today met and discussed H.5118, passed an amendment, and voted to send the bill to the Senate where it will likely be put on the contested calendar so that Senators can obtain more information about the expansive 80-page bill.
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I want to thank the SC Senate Judiciary Committee for hearing our concerns about reforms in H.5118 that we deemed to be anti-consumer. The amendment approved today by the Committee eliminated two of the three provisions of the original bill passed by the House that would have tilted the regulatory process heavily in favor of the state’s private electric utilities.
The amendment allows for the SC Public Service Commission to remain a seven-member body that is responsible for regulating electric utilities as well as other private services to the public. Reducing the proposed number of Commissioners to three would have resulted in the utilities having undue influence on the Public Service Commission.
The amendment also maintains the mission of the SC Office of Public Service Commission to not be concerned with the financial health of the utilities. The original proposal would have resulted in the agency being conflicted in its mission of providing important recommendations to the Public Service Commission on utility rate increases.
However, H.5118 still would fire the SC Consumer Advocate from representing consumers in Public Service Commission rate hearings. The SC Small Business Chamber will continue to support the Consumer Advocate having an important role in these rate hearings by having this provision removed from H.5118.
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Contact:
Frank Knapp
803-600-6874
fknapp@scsbc.org