Hotlist: January 26, 2026
As Winter Storm Fern impacts communities across South Carolina, we hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and warm. Due to dangerous travel conditions, legislative session is canceled tomorrow and will resume when roads are safe for travel.
Along with session being canceled, CVSC’s Legislative Kickoff Reception and the Energy Affordability Advocacy Day will be rescheduled. Read more below.
While legislative activity will slow this week, things were moving at the Statehouse last week. Against the backdrop of looming weather, lawmakers debated open primaries, considered new vape and e-cigarette rules, and took up DUI reform. Things wrapped up quickly on Thursday as many legislators were eager to take a ride in a Chinook helicopter as a part of a National Guard Base visit and Military Appreciation Day. Things were lively.
Amid the activity, CVSC and partners in the South Carolina Conservation Coalition presented on priority issues for the 2026 Legislative Session and a broader vision for the future of South Carolina during Wednesday’s Conversations with Conservationists Senate Briefing, hosted by Senators Campsen and Isaac Devine.
On Thursday, CVSC and our partners at the South Carolina Environmental Law Project testified in committee, warning that proposed sweeping reforms to South Carolina’s regulatory system could unintentionally undermine basic environmental regulations.
Read on for the full scoop on week two of the legislative session.
Updates
CVSC President speaks on sweeping regulatory reform package:
As outlined in our previous update, the Senate is now considering two bills (H.3021 and S.254), known as the ‘Small Business Regulatory Freedom Act,’ which make sweeping changes to South Carolina’s regulatory system that threaten fundamental regulatory protections in our state.
Last Thursday, CVSC’s new President, Meagan Diedolf, took the podium to share the practical consequences of making these sweeping changes at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
Meagan’s unique background as the former Director of Research for the House Regulations and Administrative Procedures Committee was essential to this conversation. Meagan shared that while CVSC believes the intent of the legislation, to reduce unnecessary or outdated regulations, is sound, the drastic changes in the bill risk allowing critical regulatory safeguards to expire and would slow, complicate, and increase the cost of rulemaking.
You can view a recording of the committee meeting, along with Meagan’s testimony, here.
Other opponents echoed these concerns. The Harbor Pilots Association warned the committee that applying the new process to their industry could threaten their operations and the port and asked for an exemption. Even representatives from the S.C. Small Business Regulatory Review Committee, comprised of small business owners serving in a volunteer capacity, shared concerns about the workload and the feasibility of implementing the bill’s provisions.
The committee took no action on the bill on Thursday, but we are working with lawmakers on this issue and will keep you up to date.
The case for energy affordability and data center reform
This winter storm offers a stark reminder that electricity is fundamental to modern life. We hope power is restored quickly for those affected, and we’re grateful to our state’s linemen and utility workers who are working around the clock to safely restore service.
Storms like this expose both the importance and the vulnerability of our power grid. While most outages stem from downed lines, the grid is also under growing strain, from rising demand by large users and from peak winter loads as heaters work to keep pace with plunging temperatures. The 2025 legislative session focused heavily on power supply, but South Carolina is overdue to address the other side of the coin: managing demand so electricity remains reliable and affordable.
At Wednesday’s SC Conservation Coalition Senate Briefing, CVSC’s Erin Siebert, Energy Policy Manager, spoke to the need to pursue reforms that help reduce strain on the grid while reducing costly electric bills and protecting our environment.
This includes ensuring data centers pay their fair share for expensive new power plants needed to meet rising energy demand, and provide transparency around water use. Also, it is vital we advance energy conservation measures, like energy efficiency, to help reduce power bills, strain on the grid, and the need to build expensive new power plants.
Many Senators at the briefing echoed the importance of advancing these crucial energy affordability measures. Both of these vital issues are addressed in Senator Massey’s recently introduced Energy Consumer Protection Bill (S.784), and we are looking forward to advancing this crucial legislation.
Watch the full recording, including Erin’s remarks here, and visit the Action Center below to urge your legislator to act to advance energy affordability solutions this session!
C-PACE hits a wall in the Senate
Unfortunately, the Senate voted against passage of S.256, the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) bill, on Tuesday. C-PACE is a permissive tool for local government to incentivize improvements to commercial properties by allowing new financing through property tax collection. C-PACE would help advance energy conservation measures, rooftop solar, resilience, and other improvements to commercial properties across our state and is authorized in a majority of states nationwide.
We are disappointed that the Senate voted against this bill, as they have passed similar bills in prior sessions, but we will continue to educate on the economic development and environmental benefits of this proposal and lay the groundwork for future work on this issue.
Transferable Development Rights (TDRs) still on Senate floor
No action was taken on Transferable Development Rights (S.288) last week, but we are hopeful for a vote soon. As mentioned, this bill is an essential part of the SC Prosper & Preserve initiative and provides a free-market solution to manage growth and protect rural and natural lands in our state.
While CVSC and partners work with Senators to secure a favorable vote on TDRs, outreach from constituents like you is vital! Please visit the Action Center below to urge your senator to pass S.288 for sustainable growth in South Carolina!
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.
- Tell Lawmakers: We Need Qualified, Unbiased Energy Regulators
- Tell Your Senator to Vote in Favor of Sustainable Planning Tools: TDRs
- Tell your legislators to make land and water protection a top priority in 2026
- Tell your legislators that your energy bill is too high
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!