MORNING HEADLINES | On a hot summer day, Gov. Henry McMaster ceremonially signed a new energy law aimed at ramping up Palmetto State power production. In addition to regulatory changes, the law clears the way for Dominion Energy and state-owned Santee Cooper to build a 2,000-megawatt natural gas plant in rural Colleton County.
McMaster signed the bill into law more than a month ago, but Wednesday’s ceremony brought utility executives and other workers together with lawmakers to show solidarity and support between the groups.
“This is of course to celebrate a great step for South Carolina,” McMaster said at the ceremony, which lasted less than 15 minutes before most everyone went back into the air-conditioned mansion.
The law took effect immediately. Utilities now can appeal Public Service Commission rulings directly to the South Carolina Supreme Court, meaning projects or rate cases won’t be in limbo for years as they wind through the courts. They can also now ask for smaller rate increases every year instead of hitting customers with what was sometimes a double-digit increase to cover inflation and rising costs after four or five years.
Meanwhile, lawmakers recently cleared the way for private companies to take over the long-abandoned project to build two new nuclear reactors at the defunct V.C. Summer site near Jenkinsville. Ratepayers paid billions of dollars on the failed project, which was abandoned in 2017, well before it generated even a watt of power.
The bill did not get unanimous support. Some legislators from both sides of the aisle worried the state didn’t set limits on data centers and that would allow the computer farms to suck up massive amounts of the new energy and raise costs to homeowners and others while providing few local benefits.
In other headlines:
Charleston honors firefighters lost in 2007 Sofa Super Store blaze. The Charleston Fire Department on Wednesday held its annual commemoration for the nine firefighters who died fighting the Sofa Super Store fire. At the event, CFD Chief Dan Curia spoke of lessons learned from the tragedy.
Charleston youth curfew approved despite opposition. Charleston City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to implement a nighttime curfew on youths under 18 in Charleston’s central business district, including King Street. The city’s Human Affairs and Racial Conciliation Commission opposed the action, but Police Chief Chito Walker said it was necessary to address what Mayor William Cogswell has called “mobs of teenagers” downtown.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens’ Juneteenth commemoration begins today in Charleston. According to organizers, the three-day “Living Legacies” event will celebrate the resilience, culture and the contributions of the African American community. Featured attractions will include history panels, art exhibits, musical performances and a reading of the names enslaved at the plantation.
With FAA approval in place, Breeze Airways considers international flights from Charleston. Now that Breeze Airways can fly international routes, company officials say Charleston is in the running for new service, which airport officials say would be a boon for the region.
New Dorchester County budget includes tax increase for schools. The newly-passed $295 million 2025-26 budget includes more money for public safety and capital projects, as well as a tax increase on businesses and personal property to support county schools. “Anytime you’re raising taxes, it’s not perfect,” Council Chairman David Chinnis said, adding that properly funding schools is “important to us.”
Mace wants ‘Monkey Island’ research facility shut down. First District U.S. Rep. Nancy, who’s said she’s considering a 2026 run for governor, says she’s pushing to have the controversial “Monkey Island” research facility off the S.C. coast shuttered.
Why are South Carolina’s crayfish dying off? Scientists say S.C. crayfish, a critical part of the marine food chain, are struggling. “They’ve been scuttling along our river bottoms for millions of years,” Center for Biological Diversity Southeast Director Will Harlan said. “To lose them in a century or less is especially heartbreaking.”
With Wilson eyeing S.C. governor’s race, who might run for attorney general? As incumbent State Attorney General Alan Wilson prepares for an expected gubernatorial run in 2026, several high-profile political players are said to be considering a run for AG. Prominent names include Georgetown Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe and Sen. Margie Bright Matthews, among others.
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