Hotlist: March 10, 2025
Hey friends!
Believe it or not, we’ve officially reached the halfway point of the 2025 legislative session. Conservation has been front and center in both chambers so far this year, and we fully expect that momentum to carry through the second half. Thanks to your support and action, conservation issues aren’t just being talked about within our community—they’re being heard loud and clear by legislators on both sides of the Statehouse. We’re so grateful for your continued support and are ready to make the rest of this session just as effective as the first!
This week is a unique one at the General Assembly: it’s budget week in the House. Every year, lawmakers come together to debate and pass the state’s operating budget (also known as the appropriations bill) for the next fiscal year. The legislative process started with the House Ways and Means Committee, which spent weeks reviewing, amending, and gathering feedback on the budget—mostly from state agencies and other key stakeholders.
Once the committee finalizes its version, the full House takes over for debate and a vote. That’s exactly where we are right now. Today at 1:00 pm, the House will gavel in to begin its budget deliberations. Throughout the process, our team is keeping a close eye on anything that could impact conservation priorities. We’re here to support, defend, and advocate for the provisions that matter most, and we’ll be sure to keep you updated as things unfold.
Now, let’s get into last week’s updates!
Senators hear more concerns on the House energy bill
Last Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee held a hearing on controversial energy bill, H.3309. Several of our partners, including Coastal Conservation League, Southern Environmental Law Center, and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, among others, provided testimony citing concerns with the House energy bill and recommended improvements to protect customers and enable a cleaner, more efficient grid. While no action was taken, we expect an additional hearing this week with testimony from utilities.
Make sure community voices aren’t drowned out by monopoly utilities—visit our Action Center below to contact your senator and urge them to reject dangerous provisions that roll back customer protections and stifle low cost clean energy projects.
In other energy news
The Senate Special Committee has not reconvened in the past few weeks as members have been consumed by other headline-grabbing issues, drawing the attention of key players on energy issues.
As a reminder, the Senate Special Committee was formed late last year to discuss the Senate’s take on energy reform. While it is unclear whether the Senate Special Committee will meet again, we are hopeful the committee members will still put forward a new energy reform package that embraces innovative solutions that advance clean energy, promote competition, and ultimately, protect customers and the environment.
SC Prosper & Preserve introduced in both chambers
With Representative Mark Smith’s introduction of the Transferable Development Rights bill H.4146 in the House, both of the land use planning tools in our SC Prosper & Preserve initiative (Concurrent Infrastructure Requirements and Transferable Development Rights) have been introduced in both chambers! This is a big step. Half the battle of passing legislation is getting it introduced in the first place. With the bills in both chambers we now have two avenues to advance the bills and can focus our attention on whichever garners the most momentum.
Now, we work to make sure all of these bill get committee hearings! Follow the new links in the Action Center below to contact your representative and show your support for the land use tools in our SC Prosper & Preserve initiative.
Senate spotlight on S.227
Last Wednesday also brought a Labor, Commerce, & Industry Special Subcommittee hearing on the Concurrent Infrastructure Requirements (CIR) bill S.227. CVSC and partners testified in support of the bill as a vital tool to fight sprawl, improve infrastructure, and protect taxpayers. The committee was eager to help local governments sustainably manage our state’s exploding growth and we expect another subcommittee hearing in the near future to further the discussion. With this issue fresh on their minds, now is the perfect time to contact your Senator and urge them to support S.227 via the Action Center below.
Updates
- Energy
- Last Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary subcommittee held a hearing on controversial energy bill, H.3309, where several of our partners provided testimony. We are expecting the subcommittee to hear from utilities this week, so please make your voice heard by visiting the Action Center below and urge your Senator to demand a better energy reform package that includes affordable, clean, and resilient energy solutions.
- Land, Water, Ocean
- One sustainable planning tool, Concurrent Infrastructure Requirements (S.227), received a Labor, Commerce, and Industry Special Subcommittee hearing last Wednesday. CVSC and several partners testified to a receptive committee who agreed that we should be providing as many tools to local governments as possible. We expect a second subcommittee meeting in the near future.
- Representative Mark Smith introduced another sustainable planning tool, Transferable Development Rights, H.4146, in the House, which would be a tool for local governments to shift development from lands that they want to protect to areas that are prime for development. This means that our SC Prosper & Preserve initiative has been introduced in both chambers–a critical step in bringing our vision to life. You can now contact your Representatives to ask them to support TDR’s via the Action Center below!
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.
- NEW ACTION: Ask Your Legislators to Support Transfer of Development Rights
- Ask Your Legislators to Support Concurrent Infrastructure Requirements
- Tell Your Senator to Reject Harmful Provisions in H.3309
In the News
The Legislative Hotlist is an update from our Government Relations Manager, Alan Lee. Sign up for emails to get the Hotlist delivered directly to your inbox!