What is the issue?
Santee Cooper has suspended permitting of the Pee Dee Coal Plant. With its decision, Santee Cooper joins a growing national trend of utilities and states abandoning new coal-fired power. Reduced overall demand for power, worsening mercury pollution in the state’s waterways, pending federal legislation to protect the climate from coal plant emissions, and proven power alternatives such as energy efficiency and renewable energy make leaving this coal plant behind forever the best choice for South Carolina.
How would it affect South Carolina?
Building another coal plant would pollute our air and waterways with soot, smog and mercury, making South Carolinians sick. It would lead to destruction of ancient Appalachian mountains, erasing a priceless piece of our natural heritage. It would release more global warming gasses than some small countries when we are struggling to combat climate change. It would cost billions of dollars, diverting resources away from cleaner, more cost-effective resources like energy efficiency and renewable energy, which promise thousands of jobs for the Palmetto State.
What can you do about it?
South Carolina needs an approach to energy that creates new jobs, sustains economic innovation, and ensures a clean and healthy future for generations. Our state’s utilities must focus on deploying energy efficiency programs and developing home-grown renewable energy resources, in addition to other alternatives, as a means of permanently canceling plans for a new coal plant. With the Pee Dee Coal Plant in suspension, South Carolina’s utilities, business leaders, political representatives and citizens can now focus on forging a clean and cost-effective energy future for our state.
- South Carolina will never build another coal plant.
- Our state will develop a diverse and reliable energy system that is better for our environment and our health.
- Greater reliance on clean energy resources like energy efficiency and renewable energy will save money and produce thousands of jobs for our state.
- South Carolina gets another dirty coal plant, worsening air and water pollution problems.
- The Palmetto state deepens its disproportionate reliance on coal, increasing the risk of energy price hikes.
- Our state falls behind its neighbors in the race to generate new jobs and wealth from a clean energy economy.
