July 2010
Conservation Voters Legislative Year-in-Review:
2010: Water Matters
Milestone victories were achieved by South
Carolina's conservation community in 2010. Despite prevailing economic
and budget woes, several Common
Agenda Priorities came out on top, including e-waste recycling,
energy efficiency financing, and a compromise to finally permit how much
water can be taken from our lakes and rivers. Funding for the landmark
Conservation Bank and natural resource agencies like DNR was kept alive
during a bare-bones budget year. We were also successful in holding the
line on environmental protections as we defeated a Senate bill that
would have allowed mountains of out-of-state trash to be burned on South
Carolina soil.
Thursday, June 3 marked "Sine Die," the final day of the 2009-2010
legislative sessions — unpredictable at times due to intermittent
furlough weeks, overlapping committee meetings, and political
distractions. Fortunately, a sense of urgency prevailed in the waning
days of the session. Please read more about how the Conservation Agenda
fared below in our year-end Hotlist Wrap Up. (If you'd like to
receive a shortened version of this weekly email about the progress
of conservation legislation at the State House- when the
Legislature returns in January- please email us here.)
We'd like to thank everyone who supported the team effort to turn our
Common Agenda priorities into law: conservation-minded legislators,
active citizen volunteers and the members of Conservation Voters.
The conservation lobbyists were outstanding: Cary Chamblee (Sierra
Club & Wildlife Federation), Christie McGregor (The Nature
Conservancy of SC), Debbie Parker (Conservation Voters), and
Patrick Moore, Dennis Glaves, Cathy Warner, Merrill McGregor and
Hamilton Davis (Coastal Conservation League). Lobby Team
volunteers made the difference as they came to Columbia every Tuesday to
attend committee meetings, testify at hearings and speak with
legislators. We also want to recognize the citizens who continue to say
“no” to out of state trash, whether it’s opposing a mega dump in
Marlboro or an incinerator in Chester County.
We’d especially like to thank the 36 organizations listed below, that
represent more than 45,000 members, who supported our Conservation
Common Agenda. 2010 marks the sixth year that Conservation Voters
Education Fund has hosted the Agenda - and we are already looking toward
the 2011-2012 legislative session.
Our issue teams begin meeting in July, followed by the priority setting
session in September and the Conservation Leaders' Summit in November.
“Home visits” will be scheduled with legislators again in the fall and
we’ll be presenting the new Agenda to Senators and Representatives in
early January. Conservation Voters needs your continued help to pass
sensible laws to protect our environment and create a safe, clean and
healthy future for all South Carolinians. Every pro-conservation bill
passed today is a vote cast for our children's future. Join
us.
Sincerely yours,
Ann S. Timberlake
Executive Director
Read the full story about how the Common Agenda priorities faired during the 2010 Legislative Session:
Protecting Clean Water
Preserving our Natural Heritage
Fueling our Economic Engine
Stop Wasting South Carolina
Re-Energizing South Carolina
Standing up for Public Health
Offshore Drilling
