With the House taking a furlough last week, it made for a quiet lobby, but it won’t stay that way as crossover day is fast approaching! Let’s dive into what will prove to be a busy time as both the…

It is safe to say that the last two Years were tough for all of us. However, even as its challenges still linger, there is still the opportunity to appreciate what could be – especially with much conservation…

We have seven more weeks until the Legislature gavels to a close on the first Year of its two-Year session. Last week, the House passed their version of the state budget for fiscal Year 2021-2022. After three days…

What a week! Sometimes the legislature is loud and boisterous and sometimes the work happens quietly and quickly. Last week had a healthy mix of the two. We had a productive subcommittee hearing on energy and worked to make…

“I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I can tell I made a difference. He listened to me like what I said mattered.” That’s what one of our members told me about a conversation with their State Senator after our…

Reauthorizing the Conservation Bank: We finally made progress this Year with both the Senate and the House holding subcommittee hearings on bills to reauthorize the Conservation Bank. The Conservation Bank was created 14 Years ago to safeguard our drinking…

Wow. What a Year it’s been! The short story is that in 2016 conservation WON at the State House. We PASSED hard fought legislation to protect South Carolina from coal ash and irresponsible shoreline development. We BLOCKED bad bills that…

The 2015 legislative Year can be described as full of talk and little action. We joined our partners in the Conservation Coalition in successfully securing increased funding for the Conservation Bank and fought rollbacks that would have weakened coastal protections,…

We were busy protecting the South Carolina you love in 2014: Here are 10 WAYS WE CAN PROVE IT. 10) The Solar Bill passed unanimously: The future of energy is now coming to South Carolina.

Thank you again for supporting our advocacy efforts this past Year. With the help of our conservation partners in the lobby, we have a lot to be proud of this Year. In the hotlist wrap-up, you'll find CVSC's summary of the 2014 legislative Year as it relates to many of our Conservation Common Agenda priorities. We were able to stop anti-environmental initiatives like the “flow control” bill and prevent further weakening of the Pollution Control Act. We passed a major piece of solar energy legislation. We were disappointed that funding for the Conservation Bank was held at the same level as last Year. We look forward to a fresh start in 2014 when we hope to improve protections for our rivers. Most importantly, we want to pause to thank you for helping us make our collective voices heard to protect the South Carolina you love.