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TO RECOGNIZE THE IMPACT THAT SCANA CORPORATION'S MERGER WITH AN OUT-OF-STATE UTILITY WILL HAVE ON THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, PARTICULARLY LEXINGTON COUNTY, AND TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE MERGER WILL RESULT IN NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON RATEPAYERS, UTILITY EMPLOYEES, AND RELATED INDUSTRIES.
Whereas, SCANA Corporation is an energy-based holding company formed in 1984 and is headquartered in Cayce, South Carolina; and
Whereas, SCANA Corporation is primarily engaged in regulated electric and natural gas utility operations and other nonregulated energy-related businesses in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia through its subsidiaries; and
Whereas, SCANA Corporation's subsidiary, South Carolina Electric and Gas (SCE&G), provides electricity and natural gas services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in our State; and
Whereas, SCE&G generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity to over half a million customers in twenty-four counties and provides natural gas to customers in thirty-six counties; and
Whereas, SCE&G employs more than three thousand employees, including over six hundred employees in Lexington County; and
Whereas, SCANA Corporation paid approximately 42 million dollars in property taxes to Lexington County in 2017; and
Whereas, SCANA owns valuable real estate located in Lexington's Otarre Corridor located along 12th Street in Cayce, which is made up of approximately 1,800 acres, and has plans for development with local leaders; and
Whereas, the gross mismanagement of the jointly owned V.C. Summer Nuclear Project with the South Carolina Public Service Authority has resulted in significant financial losses to the State; and
Whereas, this gross mismanagement has exposed leadership weaknesses at the top tiers of SCANA Corporation, SCE&G, and the Public Service Authority that have made these companies vulnerable to significant financial losses that jeopardize their futures and the livelihoods of the employees who have done nothing wrong; and
Whereas, the House of Representatives recognizes that the South Carolina Public Service Commission recently voted unanimously to approve the proposed merger between SCANA and Virginia-based Dominion Energy; and
Whereas, the House of Representatives recognizes further that Dominion Energy has reneged on its widely publicized promise to give SCE&G's customers a one thousand dollar refund; and
Whereas, the merger of South Carolina-based SCANA Corporation with an out-of-state utility jeopardizes South Carolina jobs directly tied to the company and has residual effects on industries and vendors doing business with SCANA and its employees; and
Whereas, this merger will no doubt create uncertainty for future development and economic opportunity in the Otarre Corridor; and
Whereas, the preservation of a South Carolina-based company would have ensured ratepayer protection and job protection for years to come that cannot be guaranteed in the wake of SCANA's merger with an out-of-state entity. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize that a responsible, community-oriented SCANA Corporation is an important part of South Carolina's economy, that ratepayers are better protected and served when receiving services from a South Carolina-based regulated utility, and that retaining a South Carolina-based company is critical to preserving South Carolina jobs.
This web page was last updated on March 7, 2019 at 1:21 PM