Home » Hotlist: January 20, 2026

Hotlist: January 20, 2026

Hey friends!

The Legislature gaveled in last week with the usual ceremony, from swearing in new members to invitations and recognitions. 

There was a flurry of activity in the lobby, committees began refining bill language, press conferences urged action on a range of issues, and initial floor debates kicked off, including discussion of conservation priorities. 

Among this wave of activity, the Senate debated a key land use policy to manage growth, an energy bill addressing data centers and consumer protection was introduced, and more.

Dive in to see all that happened last week!

First on the slate, debate over managing growth in the state: S.288 

The Senate began debate on the floor this week, starting with Transferable Development Rights (TDRs), S.288, part of the SC Prosper & Preserve initiative. Mentioned in our priorities shared last week, this bill encourages local governments to be intentional about growth by steering development toward areas communities want developed, while protecting land they don’t. 

The bill sponsor, Senator Michael Johnson, highlighted the legislation’s benefits on the floor, the crucial need to address sprawl and congestion in our growing state, and thoughtfully answered questions and concerns from other senators. 

The debate halted after some expressed worries about unintended consequences at the local level. We are working to resolve those concerns, and look forward to another floor debate soon. We need your help to make this happen. Visit the Action Center to urge your senator to support S.288 and advance this crucial tool to better manage our state’s growth and development.

Energy consumer protection bill filed: data centers, affordability, and landowner protections

On the first day of session last week, Senator Massey introduced S.784, or what we’re calling the Energy Consumer Protection bill. This bill addresses issues that threaten the affordability of electricity for families and businesses in South Carolina. The legislation also provides protections for landowners impacted by eminent domain (land seizures) for energy projects, as well as other consumer protections that didn’t make it across the finish line in the 2025 energy debate. Highlights include:

  • Data Center Safeguards that hold these facilities to a higher standard, ensuring existing customers aren’t paying for data center electric needs, standardized water-use reporting, and the removal of state tax incentives.
  • Holding Utilities Accountable on Energy Conservation by establishing a minimum energy savings target for our state’s major utility companies to ensure customers have meaningful options to lower their electric bills, improve our state’s status as one of the least energy-efficient states in the nation, and reduce the need to build expensive, polluting power plants.  
  • Basic landowner protections that provide advanced notice and rights to landowners whose property could be seized using eminent domain for energy infrastructure projects (e.g., transmission lines, pipelines).

Thank you to Senator Massey for filing this crucial legislation. It will help ensure electric bills are fair and affordable for hardworking families and businesses across the state, and it will afford protections to private landowners threatened by eminent domain. 

This bill is another clear example of how doing the right thing for the environment can benefit the bottom line for families and businesses across the state.

This bill now sits in the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Senator Luke Rankin, and has a long road ahead. We need your support to bring this bill to the finish line. Visit our Action Center for ways to contact your legislators. 

Protecting our regulatory system: environment, health, and safety

Two bills known as the “Small Business Regulatory Freedom Act” (H.3021 and S.254) raise serious concerns for the protections that safeguard our environment, public health, and safety. While similar proposals have surfaced in the past, the House version has already advanced to the Senate, increasing the urgency of the issue. 

This shift comes amid a broader push to enact comparable laws in states across the country. What was once a familiar proposal with limited traction now warrants closer scrutiny as it moves forward with a different political and national context. 

As written, this legislation would take a sledgehammer to a problem that requires a scalpel by:

  • Requiring an unelected committee of small business owners to reduce the entire code of regulations by 25%, with no requirements that they preserve rules that protect the public’s health and safety;
  • Repealing laws that give agencies the authority to regulate, forcing future General Assemblies to choose to pass new legislation or let it lapse;
  • Forcing agencies to propose the repeal of two regulations every time they propose a new one without considering whether the rules are critical for our health and safety;
  • Giving the courts more power over rules than the experts;
  • Repealing regulations every seven years if they are not readopted; and
  • Making the rulemaking process slower, harder, and more expensive.

The bill is pitched as cutting red tape, but even proponents of the bill have cited South Carolina as already having strong checks (above and beyond those of other states) to prevent unnecessary or unauthorized regulations. In practice, the burden that this legislation would have on our agencies and future General Assemblies puts longstanding protections at risk. 

We are tracking this closely and working with lawmakers, partners, and affected stakeholders to address these risks and pursue solutions that better align with the stated intent of thoughtful regulatory reform.

Land protection funding in the Governor’s Budget 

Last Monday, Governor Henry McMaster released his proposal for the FY 2027 state budget. This is just the starting point for further budget deliberations by the General Assembly to reach a final state budget. 

Notably, for land protection, the Governor included a marked increase over last year, totaling $68M of land protection funding flowing to the Conservation Land Bank, the Department of Natural Resources, the Office of Resilience, and the Forestry Commission.

We thank the Governor for his continued conservation leadership and vision to preserve the natural places that make South Carolina special. CVSC and partners will continue working with the legislature to advocate for land protection funding in the budget, supporting Governor McMaster’s legacy goal of protecting 10 million acres of land and water in South Carolina. 

Upcoming Elections for SC Public Service Commission (PSC)

The Public Service Commission (PSC) is the state agency that regulates public utilities and makes decisions on issues such as big power companies raising electric rates and approving multi-billion-dollar power plants.

Lawmakers elect the commissioners that serve on this body, and four of the seven seats are up for election this year.

A wave of new electric demand is triggering billions of dollars in investment in power plants and other infrastructure, threatening the affordability of electric bills in South Carolina. This is a pivotal time to ensure we have qualified, independent commissioners who can help protect the public interest.

Visit our Action Center below to remind your legislators that this is a crucial time for a strong PSC that protects customers and the public interest. 

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.

In the News

‘Protect the people’: Climate group protests proposed Colleton County gas power plant | Live 5 News 

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!

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