Hotlist: April 27, 2026
What a week at the Statehouse with several high-stakes budget provisos taking center stage. Notably, the Senate firmly rejected an effort to roll back longstanding protections against offshore drilling! The Senate also advanced three temporary measures to increase transparency and accountability around data center water use and state incentives.
Looking ahead, now that the Senate has finished the budget, Concurrent Infrastructure Requirements (S.227), a key bill for responsible growth and development, is likely to be taken up for debate. While the window for House action on the bill is narrowing in the final weeks of session, we will continue pushing for progress. Without action, unmitigated growth will persist.
Finally, the full Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee meets tomorrow to consider the SC Protected Lands Act (H.5069), which has already passed the House and would establish a statewide conservation benchmark. Senator Davis’ Data Center Development Act (S.867) is also on the agenda, and both bills could advance to the Senate floor.
Thanks for staying engaged during these final weeks of session, when a great deal of movement often occurs. Read the full update below.
Updates
Offshore drilling protections stand
Senator Lee Bright of Spartanburg attempted to dissolve long-standing protections against offshore drilling by proposing to remove a proviso banning onshore drilling infrastructure on South Carolina’s coast. The proviso has been in place since 2016 and has safeguarded our coast from the development of destructive drilling infrastructure while also protecting us from the risk of spills and the havoc they can wreak on our coastal ecosystems. Senator Bright’s proposal was met with a strong rebuke from many Senators who spoke to the economic and cultural value that South Carolina’s coast provides and warned of the extreme folly of removing these protections. We are proud of the Senate standing up to the senseless removal of coastal protections.
Senate passes temporary data center measures in budget
During floor debate on the state budget, the Senate adopted several provisos. Provisos are temporary measures attached to the state budget specifying how money can (or can’t) be spent by state entities. While narrow in scope, provisos can carry significant policy impacts.
Data center oversight emerged as a central issue, with debate initially stalled over how to define “data center.” Ultimately, the Senate approved three provisos aimed at improving transparency and accountability related to water use and tax incentives:
- Senator Sutton’s proviso prohibits the Department of Commerce from using state funds to recruit or incentivize data center projects. The measure gained traction after it was revealed that Commerce had supported a data center project in York County, contradicting earlier assurances that data center projects were not supported in the committee process.
- Senator Blackmon’s proviso requires data centers to report water usage, providing baseline data to inform future policy decisions and assess impacts on state water resources.
- Senator Campsen’s proviso directs the Department of Revenue to report on sales tax exemptions claimed by data centers for equipment and electricity, as industries for the last fiscal year took advantage of over $828M in incentives. This proviso passed after initial attempts by Senator Campsen to temporarily remove these tax exemptions faced opposition.
While temporary and limited in scope, these measures represent a step toward greater transparency and fiscal accountability as lawmakers consider more comprehensive data center guardrails to protect the environment, electric customers, and local communities.
The budget now moves to the House, where members will decide whether to adopt or modify these provisions and rectify differences with the Senate.
While the opportunity to pass comprehensive data center legislation through both chambers this session has likely passed, bills remain in both chambers, including Senator Davis’ Data Center Development Act (S.867), which is scheduled for a hearing tomorrow.
CVSC and partners will continue to advocate in the House to retain these pragmatic budget provisos and push for more durable safeguards through legislation, even if that means tackling comprehensive reform in 2027.
Senate Concurrency vote
The Senate finished the budget last week, which means that the Concurrent Infrastructure Requirements bill (S.227) is back in play. We are hopeful that the bill will finally return to the floor for debate and a vote. While the window for passage has gotten very tight, if the bill passes out of the Senate this week, a path remains to get this bill to the Governor’s desk before the end of session on May 14. As the fastest-growing state in the nation, we need our General Assembly to act now, or suffer another year of the status quo as growth continues unmitigated. Whether you’ve taken action before or not, visit our Action Center below to remind your senator how urgent this issue is.
SC Protected Lands & Conservation Coordination Act gets Senate hearing
The SC Protected Lands Act (H.5069) continues its meteoric rise and will be heard in front of the full Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee tomorrow, where we are hopeful it will receive a favorable report and head to the Senate floor. If it does, there will be one final step before sending this bill, which establishes official state land protection goals, to the Governor’s desk. This bill is an important tool to keep the General Assembly on track toward the goal of protecting 10 million acres of land and water in the state. We look forward to hearing tomorrow’s debate and will keep you updated on the bill’s progress. Visit our Action Center below to urge your senator to support this important bill!
Action Center
Here’s a round-up of current actions you can take to help us advance conservation policy during this legislative session. If you’ve already taken these actions, thank you! We’ll add more actions and provide updates as progress unfolds.
- Ask your senator to support the SC Protected Lands & Conservation Coordination Act
- Tell your legislator to support guardrails for new data center development
- Tell your senator to vote in favor of sustainable planning tools: CIR
- Tell your representative to vote in favor of sustainable planning tools: CIR
- Tell your senator to vote in favor of sustainable planning tools: TDRs
In the News
Editorial: Time is running out for SC Legislature to help manage growth | Post & Courier
The Legislative Hotlist is a weekly update from CVSC’s Senior Vice President of Policy & Government Relations, John Brooker. Sign up for emails to get the Hotlist delivered directly to your inbox!