January 30, 2012
Recycling Works
Call Representatives TODAY
to ask for their support of responsible recycling
The ABC Recycling Bill is an incentive for restaurant and bar owners to
participate in a common sense recycling program that reduces the need
for landfills, creates jobs and boosts South Carolina’s economy.
The Alcoholic Beverage Container (ABC) Recycling Bill, S.461 -in the
House Agriculture Committee- creates a statewide program to provide a
sustainable stream of recyclable material for industry growth and job
creation. The bill calls for businesses that have permits to serve
alcohol on-site to recycle their plastic, cardboard, aluminum and glass.
It also provides incentives for participating business; it offers a 10%
discount on liquor permit fees for participating businesses. (Liquor
permits cannot be revoked for failure to comply.) The bill exempts
businesses from participating in the program for whom recycling is not
financially feasible or accessible.
Recycling is good for South Carolina business; A 2010 Clemson University
study projects recycling industry growth at 12% annually producing
37,000 direct and indirect jobs in five years. Recycling expenses are
comparable to the price of sending waste to a landfill. And when
businesses recycle, landfilling expenses decrease, the burden on the
taxpayer to pay for new landfills is lightened, and everyone wins.
Business Owner Testimonials:
“Initially, we thought it would be a difficult transition to move the
restaurants into a recycling mentality and a challenge to get our
staff involved…we have realized how easy it is and how much our staff
wants to be a part of these efforts. We recycle paper, glass, cans,
plastic, oil and cardboard and have noticed a significant decrease in
our dumpster pick-up. We are committed to helping make Myrtle Beach a
more green friendly destination and recycling is critical to this
effort.” - Elise Angell, Myrtle Beach Public Relations & CentraArchy Restaurant Management Company, Myrtle Beach, SC
“The positives I see in requiring restaurants to recycle are
numerous. From my perspective as a restaurant manager, I think it will
be safer for employees and sanitation workers if glass is kept in one
place and removed safely. Imagine something as simple as restaurants
& bars recycling glass could actually be used to make the U.S. more
energy independent, grow jobs and generate revenue. I urge you to vote yes to restaurant and bar recycling.” -Kaitlin Ohlinger, Manager, Cellar on Greene, Columbia, SC
Recycling Industry Day
There is no regularly scheduled Conservation Lobby Team Tuesday this week. However, we encourage interested conservation community members to join our friends at the South Carolina Recycling Coalition for their legislative day on Wednesday, Feb. 1st at the State House. The day begins with a 9:00 am press conference in the first floor of the State House, and the group will then talk to legislators about their major impact on the South Carolina economy. In 2009 the recycling industry created 1,354 new jobs. Recycling equals a $52 million dollar opportunity for this state, annually.
In the House
Alcoholic Beverage Container (ABC) Recycling (S.461, Sen. Ray Cleary) SUPPORT
S.461 provides an incentive for hotel, restaurant and bar owners to
implement a responsible recycling program in the next two years for
plastic, corrugated cardboard, aluminum and glass. Businesses are exempt
from the recycling program if it is not financially feasible for them
to recycle. Participating businesses are given a 10% discount on their
liquor license fees. This bill passed the Senate 31-9 in 2011 and a
House Agriculture Subcommittee (Rep. David Hiott- Chair, Bill Crosby, Chandra Dillard and Chris Murphy) will discuss this bill Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 9:00 am in Blatt Room 410. Email members of the House Agriculture Subcommittee to ask them to support this priority bill that creates South Carolina jobs.
Weakening Citizens' Rights (H.4654, Rep. Nelson Hardwick) OPPOSE
Protections for Carolina Bays and other historic and cultural wetlands
have been in the law books since 1972. A recent Supreme Court ruling
affirms these protections for our unique resources, indeed all of our
state’s water resources, and affirms that the citizens of this State
have a right to protect themselves from pollution, degradation of water
quality and flooding. H.4654 would weaken the ability of South
Carolina's citizens to protect themselves from pollution of our wetlands
and waters, which are fundamental to the health and well-being of the
public. The House Agriculture Subcommittee chaired by Rep. Hiott will
also consider this bill at its Feb. 8 meeting.
DOT Reform (H.4625, Rep. Jay Lucas/S.1022, Sen. Harvey Peeler, S.1090, Sen. Vincent Sheheen) MONITOR
The Judiciary Constitutional Laws Subcommittee (Rep. Greg Delleney- Chair, Jim Harrison, Walt McLeod, James Smith, Tom Young) will meet Thursday, Feb. 2 at 9:00 am in Blatt Room 516 to discuss the DOT Reform bill introduced by Rep. Jay Lucas- H.4625.
There have been several reform bills introduced by the Legislature, and a
major 2012 priority of the conservation community is to pass
legislation requiring that all funding decisions, even those of the
State Infrastructure Bank, be subject to objective, criteria-based
prioritization and a fix-it-first approach. We need a statutory
commitment to allocate the majority of funding to maintenance and repair
of roads and bridges. We encourage legislators to emphasize a
fix-it-first approach as they discuss how best to reform the DOT.
DHEC Coastal Permit Review (H.3569, Rep. Dwight Loftis) MONITOR
This bill was closely monitored by the conservation community in
2011. We worked with stakeholders to ensure that the bill, in its
current form, gives affected parties the opportunity to resolve
permitting conflicts in a less litigious manner by providing all
interested parties the opportunity to review a draft permit for
activity or alteration of critical coastal tidelands or wetlands. The
full House Agriculture Committee (Rep. Nelson Hardwick- Chair,
David Hiott, Marion Frye, Ted Vick, Paul Agnew, Nathan Ballentine,
Bill Chumley, Tom Corbin, Bill Crosby, Chandra Dillard, Bill Hixon,
Kenneth Hodges, Patsy Knight, Joe McEachern, Stephen Moss, Chris
Murphy, Kevin Ryan and Edward Southard) recommitted this bill to Subcommittee last week.
Building Codes (H.4639, Rep. Bill Sandifer/S.1110) SUPPORT
This bill would update building energy codes in South Carolina to
the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code standards. The Public
Utility Subcommittee (Rep. Mike Gambrell- Chair, Grady Brown, Kris Crawford, Mike Forrester, Jackie Hayes, Phillip Lowe and Bill Sandifer) gave H.4639 a favorable report at its meeting last week. The full LCI Committee (Rep. Bill Sandifer- Chair, Grady Brown, Shannon Erickson, Carl
Anderson, Jimmy Bales, Eric Bedingfield, Bill Bowers, Joan Brady, Kris
Crawford, Mike Forrester, Mike Gambrell, Jackie Hayes, Phillip Lowe,
David Mack, Dennis Moss, Steve Parker, Gene Pinson and Mac Toole) will meet Thursday, Feb. 2 at 9:00 am in Blatt Room 403 to discuss the bill.
Natural Resource Agency Funding- SUPPORT
Two weeks ago, the Ways and Means Natural Resources Subcommittee (Rep. Gary Simrill- Chair, Jim Battle, Denny Neilson and Rep. Dwight Loftis) heard budget requests and gave positive feedback to the S.C. Conservation Bank, the Department of Agriculture and the Forestry Commission. The Ways and Means Healthcare Subcommittee (Rep. G. Murrell Smith- Chair, Tracy Edge, Harry Ott and Bill Herbkersman) also heard budget requests from the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). And the Ways and Means Local Government Subcommittee (Rep. Jim Merrill- Chair, Liston Barfield and Gilda Cobb-Hunter) heard budget requests from the office of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. Last week the Ways and Means Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Subcommittee (Rep. Mike Pitts- Chair, Lonnie Hosey and Bill Whitmire) made positive comments after hearing the budget requests of the Department of Natural Resources. Ways and Means Subcommittees will continue hearing from other state agencies this week.
In the Senate
Savannah Harbor Extension Bills- (S.1095, Sen. Joel Lourie/S.1115, Sen. Glenn McConnell/H.4627, Rep. Jim Merrill)- MONITOR
These resolutions call on the DHEC Board to reconsider and overturn its vote to approve the Corps of Engineer’s application to dredge the Savannah River. They would suspend the authority of DHEC for all decisions after 2007 pertaining to navigability, depth, dredging, wastewater and sludge disposal of the Savannah River. The Senate Medical Affairs Subcommittee (Sen. Dave Thomas- Chair, Joel Lourie, Clementa Pinckney, Shane Martin and Phillip Shoopman) will discuss these resolutions Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 10:30 am in Gressette Room 207. The full Medical Affairs Committee (Sen. Harvey Peeler- Chair, John Courson, Dave Thomas, Wes Hayes, Darrell Jackson, Michael Fair, Brad Hutto, Ralph Anderson, Clementa Pinckney, Danny Verdin, Ray Cleary, Kevin Bryant, Joel Lourie, Shane Martin, Floyd Nicholson and John Scott) will then discuss these resolutions Thursday, Feb. 2 at 9:30 am in Gressette Room 308.
Three Strikes Sewage Polluter Bill (H.3617, Rep. Pitts) SUPPORT
This bill requires any wastewater utility with three spills of over 5,000 gallons each within a 12-month period (per every 100 miles of pipe) to undergo a comprehensive audit of what caused the spill and to fix the problems identified. The legislation is a compromise between the conservation community and the 30 largest South Carolina wastewater utilities as a means of bringing the most chronic violators into compliance. This bill awaits Gov. Haley's signature.
Phosphorus Bill (H.3470, Rep. Pitts) SUPPORT
H.3470 prohibits the use, sale or manufacture of cleaning detergents containing phosphates, a harmful chemical found in our lakes and rivers. This bill adds household dishwashing detergent to the prohibition and imposes criminal sanctions for known violations. H.3470 passed the House in 2011 and cannot receive third reading in the Senate until Sen. Lee Bright of Spartanburg removes his objection on the bill.
DNR Board
The full Fish, Game and Forestry Committee (Sen. Ronnie Cromer- Chair, John Land, Yancey McGill, Dick Elliott, Brad Hutto, Chip Campsen, Jake Knotts, Mike Fair, Kent Williams, Paul Campbell, Larry Grooms, Danny Verdin, Vincent Sheheen, Creighton Coleman, Shane Martin, Mike Rose and Phillip Shoopman) heard testimony from the Department of Natural Resources staff last week about the termination of the former director and to ask questions about the future direction of DNR. The Committee then made an official request for DNR Board members to appear before them to provide more information this week on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 9:00 am in Gressette Room 105.
Building Codes (S.1110, Sen. Tom Alexander/H.4639) SUPPORT
This bill would update building energy codes in South Carolina to the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code standards. The full Senate Judiciary Committee (Sen. Glenn McConnell -Chair, Robert Ford, Larry Martin, Luke Rankin, Brad Hutto, Jake Knotts, Gerald Malloy, Vincent Sheheen, Chip Campsen, Ray Cleary, JoeI Lourie, Kent Williams, Paul Campbell, Shane Massey, Lee Bright, Creighton Coleman, Tom Davis, Shane Martin, Floyd Nicholson, Mike Rose, John Scott and Phillip Shoopman) will discuss this bill at its next meeting, Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 3:00 pm in Gressette Room 105.
DOT Reform- MONITOR
The Transportation Subcommittee (Sen. Paul Campbell- Chair, Ralph Anderson, Chip Campsen, Gerald Malloy, Harvey Peeler, Luke Rankin, Vincent Sheheen and Danny Verdin) will meet to discuss Department of Transportation Reform Thursday, Feb. 2 at 9:00 am in Gressette Room 307.
