State House Update: Save the Stay and Capt. Sams Spit
Thank you for your support and participation at conservation lobby day and the oyster roast. We loved advocating with you at the State House! Please save the date for next Year: April 5, 2016.
Accountability
Senate rules promote compromise and contemplative action, meaning bills are usually fully supported by the time they reach the Senate floor for a vote. To dig deeper into the true actions of Senators on conservation issues, we score votes in Senate committee meetings for our Conservation Scorecard.
Please note that there are two bills this week in Senate Committees: S.165 (the Auto Stay Bill) and S.139 (Shoreline Management). Please help us in asking your Senator to vote with conservation.
Save the Stay
The Senate Judiciary Committee is again considering S.165, which will eliminate the Automatic Stay.
The Automatic Stay is an Administrative Procedures Act feature that temporarily prevents construction activities when a permit is challenged. The “stay” allows the Administrative Law Court to assess the facts and law and determine whether the permit was properly authorized by the agency. The “stay” avoids irreparable harm to an affected party or place before that harm occurs.
PLEASE LEARN MORE AND EMAIL OR CALL YOUR SENATOR TO ASK THEM TO OPPOSE S.165.
Protect our Coast & Capt. Sams Spit
Legislation sponsored by Sen. Cleary (R-Georgetown) and Rep. Herbersman (R-Beaufort) will finally put into law some of the recommendations from the state’s Blue Ribbon Committee on Shoreline Management. The most important aspect of these bills is that a permanent baseline will be set on our beaches by July 2015, which will limit development past the line and closer to the ocean.
Developers lobbying to build on Capt. Sams Spit want to delay the baseline placement until 2017 (in the Senate version) or 2021 (in the House version) to allow enough sand to build up to allow for an access road on the spit.
Senate and House committees are currently debating whether or not to include an amendment that will allow Kiawah developers to build on Captain Sams Spit.The shoreline management bills need to be passed without the “Kiawah amendment.”
Thank you for reaching out to your legislators.