Taylor Allred
Thank you to everyone who participated in efforts to protect Audubon’s Beidler Forest! Audubon and Santee Cooper have reached a settlement agreement that will help protect this special place, and the Public Service Commission (PSC) is expected to approve it soon. Your advocacy power in action was instrumental in securing this victory for conservation!
We believe the PSC received far more comments on this proceeding than on any other matter in its history. There was also extensive press coverage, with letters to the editor helping to raise public awareness.
As noted in a recent interview with Jonah Chester, who covered the issue for the Post and Courier, nearly 1,900 public comments were submitted in this proceeding. More than 1,300 of those comments were submitted through the form sent out by the Coastal Conservation League.
Rather than building a second line of transmission poles, Santee Cooper will replace the existing wooden poles with metal poles, which will hold both the existing 115 kv line and the new 230 kv line. While this plan will require some clearing of trees, the settlement provides for important protections against major ecological and visitor impacts. The agreement calls for Santee Cooper to do, among other things, all of the following:
-Consult with Audubon regarding removal of any danger trees outside the right-of-way and use minimally impactful removal or topping methods whenever possible.
-Avoid clearing and construction work on weekends, when there is higher visitor traffic.
-Plant a new pollinator garden in the transmission right-of-way.
-Allow Audubon to plant vegetation not to exceed 12 feet in height within the right-of-way.
-Purchase hardwood seedlings for Audubon to plant over a four-acre area in the Pine Bluff parcel of the Beidler Forest.
-Use pre-oxidized poles that will blend in better visually.
-Install markers on the transmission lines to avoid bird impacts.
In case you missed it, Taylor Allred, Energy & Climate Program Director, and Anna Kimelblatt, Communities & Transportation Program Director, authored an op-ed in August that highlighted the importance of Beidler Forest.
As Taylor and Anna wrote, “It’s no surprise that the birding community of the tri-county region flocks to Audubon’s Beidler Forest Sanctuary: It’s a truly unique treasure tucked away in Dorchester County.”