At the Statehouse – Solar week…Let’s do this
With the House out on break last week, the Senate finally worked through their calendar and started discussing energy reforms on the floor, such as how much of the V.C. Summer fee levied on ratepayers they should temporarily cut while any merger is discussed.
With the Senate on their Spring Break this coming week, debate won’t resurface again until April 10th.
While the Senate is off, the House will be back in session this week focusing on “clearing their calendar” of bills that need to get over to the Senate before crossover on April 10th (to have a chance of passing this Year).
That’s where you come in…
Can you join us at a solar rally tomorrow on the North steps of the State House?
Because this week is going to be a big deal for Solar in SC…
Solar Showdown – As you may remember, we’ve been pushing for a vote on two residential solar bills for a few weeks now. This is the last week before Crossover (the deadline to get the good solar bill out of the House). H.4421 is the pro-solar bill that would remove net-metering caps, allowing the solar industry to flourish as it should in sunny South Carolina. H.5045 is the pro-utility bill that would eliminate the solar energy free market established in 2014 — putting thousands of solar jobs at risk. This is truly our moment to make sure residential solar customers are treated fairly.
To make sure our voices are heard this week, we’re joining our partners in the Conservation Coalition and in the solar industry at a Solar Rally on Tuesday at 11 am on the North steps of the State House. Can you join us?
Whether or not you can be there in person, please ask your Representative to vote for solar growth this week.
What else happened last week in the Senate?
Conservation Bank Reauthorization and Budget – Thankfully, the bill that permanently reauthorizes the Conservation Bank, H.4727, has passed through both Chambers of the General Assembly. Since the Senate made additional amendments to the bill, it now goes back to the House to see if they agree. If not, the House and Senate will get together to work out the differences in their two versions of the bill. Please thank your Senator for supporting the reauthorization of the Conservation Bank.
The Senate Finance Committee also recommended the Conservation Bank’s annual budget to the full Senate with a total of $10 million with $3 million of that going to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to match federal funds for land protection.
That’s the rundown from this last week and the top issue for next. Stay tuned for any other actions that may come up in the meantime!
And as always, thanks for fighting for the SC you love!
Additionally, please visit our Legislative Action Center for the latest and most urgent actions. >>
And, if you have any questions about these bills or want to read more about our conservation priorities for this session, check out our summary of 2018 legislative priorities here. >>