Friday, June 30, 2023
For nearly five years, we have worked closely with the Southern Environmental Law Center to develop recommendations for updates to the real estate disclosure form in South Carolina that would require much more comprehensive information be provided to people looking to purchase property. Since 2019 the form has accounted for FEMA flood claims, but there was a growing need to provide additional information around potential…
Friday, June 30, 2023
Wetlands like South Carolina’s iconic Carolina Bays are integral for the water we rely on to drink, fish, and recreate in. Wetlands are also essential for flood protection by acting as natural sponges, storing water and allowing for groundwater recharge. Despite all this, the U.S. Supreme Court recently stripped away federal protections for isolated wetlands, and with that decision, gave developers…
Friday, June 30, 2023
We know our estuary ecosystem is crucial to keeping our coastal communities resilient, providing key habitat for marine mammals and birds and maintaining ecotourism. In order to keep this unique habitat from drowning as sea levels rise, salt marsh needs to be able to migrate landward. Recognizing this, we have worked over the last few years as a member of the South Atlantic…
Thursday, June 29, 2023
This commentary was originally published in the Post and Courier.
By Faith Rivers James, Executive Director of the Coastal Conservation League and Chris DeScherer, S.C. Office Director of the Southern Environmental Law Center
Opposition has been expressed recently over the current plans for S.C. Highway 41, referred to as the “compromise alternative” or “road to compromise.” Some of that opposition has focused on environmental impacts of the proposal and, specifically, the wetland impacts it would…
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
This opinion article was originally published in The Island News
By Marie Gibbs
In a recent Island Packet exclusive, the new owner of Pine Island stated his intentions to use golf as a “vehicle to empower economic progress” on St. Helena Island. That all sounds fine and well, but here is the catch: golf courses, resorts, and gated communities have been illegal on St. Helena Island since 1999, and they are still illegal today.
These land uses are…
Friday, June 23, 2023
This week, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control approved a permit application to operate a mine on the border of Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve.
We are extremely concerned about this decision and the impacts it will have on the hydrology of Lewis Ocean Bay, as well as important habitat for Venus flytraps and salamanders that require specific moisture levels to survive.
This heritage preserve has a…
Sunday, June 18, 2023
This op-ed was written for the Post & Courier by Land. Water, Wildlife Program Director, Riley Egger and Charleston Waterkeeper Executive Director, Andrew Wunderley.
The writing is on the water: Outdated septic tank policies and regulatory inaction cost our coastal communities money, threaten our health and leave our waterways polluted.
When septic tanks overflow into waterways due to lax regulations and requirements, our communities, environment and economies…
Friday, June 16, 2023
Welcome to the June 2023 issue of the North Coast newsletter!
School’s out and summer is (almost) here, so let’s go to the beach! In June, we recognize World Oceans Day (June 8) and Juneteenth…
Friday, June 16, 2023
A coalition of Charleston advocacy groups is applauding the announcement Friday by the South Carolina Ports Authority and the City of Charleston that there will be a fresh start on the redevelopment of Union Pier, a significant project that for months has drawn overwhelming community feedback.
At the June 7 Planning Commission meeting focused on the proposed Union Pier project, Barbara Melvin, President and CEO of the Ports Authority, assured the hundreds of concerned citizens…
Thursday, June 15, 2023
One important aspect of community and political engagement is attending and making public comment at local legislative meetings. Here at the Coastal Conservation League, we encourage community members and supporters to speak up at these meetings whenever possible, because we have seen firsthand how a collective voice can make a difference. We also understand that sometimes those meetings can be overwhelming, making it difficult to feel comfortable speaking up. Some people feel nervous about…
