Mobile Home Sales in North Santee, SC

McCLELLANVILLE — First and foremost: no electric transmission line across the relatively wild lower Santee River delta. That’s what Tommy Graham will tell federal regulators.

Graham, among a vocal crowd of McClellanville-area residents, isn’t so sure about the other two route options offered by Berkeley Electric Cooperative either. And 7,500 co-op customers in the northern end of the county now depend on the sometimes flickering, outage-prone co-op power feed the line is planned to improve.

That makes for another contested round of public comment and hearings on the newly released federal environmental impact statement that could clear the way for one line or the other — five years after the opposition derailed the last impact statement.

This time around, there’s more urgency for the co-op and for the customers. Development planned along the U.S. Highway 17 corridor north of Mount Pleasant is going to mean more people pulling from those electric lines.

“The primary reason for the line has always been to improve service reliability for our members in that district,” said co-op spokesman Micah Ponce. “However, as more people continue to move into the area the growth in the electrical load is becoming more of a concern.”

In 2014, the co-op wanted to run a transmission line, one of those spread-eagle arrays of towers and high tension lines, across the delta just upstream of the U.S. Highway 17 bridge.

The Santee is the lifeblood of the fishing and hunting communities that make up the rural county. It’s a spread of marshes and channels nearly as large as the Charleston metro area, teeming with ducks and alligators.

Sand from its outflow is thought to have created the island-scape of the vast Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge where it empties.

Not just residents objected. The U.S. Forest Service has raised concerns about potential damage to the Francis Marion National Forest through which the line would run. The environmental advocate Coastal Conservation League also came out against the line running either through the forest or across the delta.

“We’ll continue to oppose any lines that cross (either),” said spokeswoman Caitie Forde-Smith.

The delta line would still be the preferred, most economical route for the co-op.

But “there were clearly concerns that were voiced about crossing the Santee delta” in the previous, 2014 round of comments and hearings, said Mark A. Svrcek, chief operating officer of the Central Electric Power Cooperative, which supplies wholesale power through the transmission lines.

The first of the new options would be to run the power through an existing transmission line across the Santee River upstream near Jamestown and Highway 17 Alternate and build lines to McClellanville through the Francis Marion National Forest along a route that hasn’t been specified yet.

The other new option would be to build a line from a distribution line in Cainhoy, near Mount Pleasant, that would also run through the forest but at least somewhat along a natural gas pipeline easement.

That would be the least favored and most expensive option because of safety concerns, and the building and maintenance costs, Svrcek said. Also, a distribution line doesn’t provide as much power.

The new line is an established need, that’s not in question, “that’s an important thing to be aware of,” Svrcek said.

The co-ops are trying to work through the Forest Service concerns. The conservation league is evaluating the draft impact statement released for public comment.

Graham and his upper-county neighbors know they need more reliable power, and one of the two new options might be OK, he said. But he’s skeptical.

“It’s a travesty to run the line through the forest. It’s a travesty to run the line through people’s yards. There we are between a rock and a hard place,” he said. “If we don’t turn out on the 17th (for a public hearing in McClellanville), say something important and relevant, we’re in trouble.”

The Sierra Club is suing South Carolina’s environmental regulator, claiming the agency has failed to enforce pollution protections on the state’s three largest coal power plants.

Water pollution permits for the three plants, owned by Santee Cooper and Dominion Energy, have been expired for as long as a decade, according to the suit. It’s the responsibility of the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control to enforce the permitting program, which puts limits on the amount of toxic heavy metals that can be released into waterways.

It’s one of many key Environmental Protection Agency programs that’s delegated to state agencies like DHEC, which is named in the suit. The utilities that operate the plants are not named.

A DHEC spokesperson declined to comment Thursday.

In South Carolina, there’s a loophole that allows plants to keep operating under lapsed permits if a review for new ones hasn’t been completed, said Leslie Lenhardt, an attorney for the S.C. Environmental Law Project. The firm is representing Sierra Club.

“It is pretty substantive review, I think it takes a while, so I think that’s why that loophole is there,” she said. “I don’t think anybody contemplated a decade of delay.”

The coal-fired generation plants in question include:

The Sierra Club claims that applications to renew the permits have been filed in all three cases, but DHEC has failed to act on them, in effect letting the utilities avoid complying with more stringent pollution rules that were unveiled in 2015.

“Folks are extremely concerned about discharges, especially folks around Georgetown and the Sampit River,” said Xavier Boatright, an organizer with Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign. “Not only do folks fish there, but now, we have this new COVID-19 reality, where folks have an acute sense to threats to public health.”

The suit alleges that people near bodies of water affected by the plants’ discharge — the Wateree River, North Santee River, Sampit River and Lake Moultrie — have resorted to drinking bottled water instead of their well water and no longer eat the fish they catch in these areas.

If DHEC does eventually reconsider the permits and apply newer standards, it would make the already precarious economics of the coal plants even more wobbly.

Dominion said in a long-range planning document this year that retrofitting its water discharges could prove “challenging and costly.”

Santee Cooper, meanwhile, is already planning to close down its Winyah station, though the process will take years; it plans to shutter two coal furnaces there by 2023, and the remaining two by 2027.

Andrew Brown contributed to this report.

With Hurricane Florence bearing down on South Carolina, the state’s public electric and water utility is taking steps to lower water levels on two major lakes and get resources in place for repairs after the storm.

Santee Cooper has been running as much water as possible through their hydroelectric generating systems in an effort to lower water levels on Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie, said Mollie Gore, a spokeswoman for the utility.

Thus far, water levels have dropped by 3 inches on the lakes, Gore said.

While that doesn’t sound like much, the lakes cover 160,000 acres on their surface, and that translates to more than 8 billion gallons of water released.

If water levels start climbing too high, the utility will open up spillways to release more water downstream in order to avoid damage to their network of dams and dikes, Gore said.

Santee Cooper also opens up its spillways as a normal part of hydroelectric generation anytime water levels climb too high.

In the Midlands, South Carolina Electric & Gas announced it was lowering water levels on Lake Murray ahead of Florence’s impact.

The storm, meanwhile, is expected to bring significant rainfall, especially to inland areas of South Carolina.

According to the National Weather Service’s Charleston office, rain in Moncks Corner, which sits on the south end of Lake Moultrie, could be as much as 6 inches. Areas farther north could see as much as 8 inches.

Southeast SC and southeast GA not only have wind concerns from #Florence but also threats for heavy rain. Notice there is tight rainfall gradient along the South Carolina coastline with greater flooding impacts more likely for areas north of I-26. #scwx #gawx pic.twitter.com/c1Nkko0IS7

— NWS Charleston, SC (@NWSCharlestonSC) September 14, 2018

Gore said Santee Cooper is prepared to respond as needed.

“It’s something we’ll be monitoring proactively,” she said.

And local officials are also working to ensure the public is safe and that first responders and rescue workers know how to respond to flooding.

“We work very closely with (Santee Cooper),” said Hannah Moldenhauer, a Berkeley County spokeswoman. “We have an incident accident plan. We train for flooding with them regularly.”

Once the storm passes, the utility will also be working to restore electrical power to areas under blackout conditions.

Santee Cooper has additional personnel on hand in addition to utility workers who’ve come in from out of state to help with recovery efforts, Gore said. Specialized equipment to allow repairs in flooded areas has also been brought in and is standing by if needed.

The Lowcountry is under tropical storm and storm surge watches as Hurricane Ian’s projected path has shifted eastward, bringing with it the potential for heavy rain, gusty winds and flooding throughout South Carolina later this week.

An updated forecast the evening of Sept. 27 marked a “significant shift eastward,” according to Ron Morales, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Charleston.

The updated forecast “puts it closer to the water on the Atlantic side, which is more troubling for us,” Morales said.

“We are fully prepared for whatever comes...We’ve been through a lot of hurricanes,” Gov. Henry McMaster said Sept. 27. “We know we are going to experience some rough weather.”

The University of South Carolina moved its football game against S.C. State up two days to Sept. 29 in anticipation of the storm. A number of high schools, including in the Charleston area and along the Grand Strand, also moved games up earlier in the week.

The Charleston County School District announced it would shift to remote learning Sept. 30 in preparation for the hurricane, according to its website.

Charleston residents in West Ashley had another way of finding out that extreme weather was headed this way. The Coburg Cow, a local iconic sign at the intersection of Coburg Road and Savannah Highway, was removed from its perch midday Sept. 27 for safekeeping in anticipation of Ian.

Still, the storm’s track remains uncertain, Morales noted.

The watch area, which stretches the East Coast from Jacksonville, Fla., to the Santee River north of Charleston, could experience gusts of tropical storm force winds reaching speeds between 39 and 73 mph as early as Sept. 29, Morales said.

Sustained winds at those speeds were less likely, especially more inland, but gusts could still cause power outages and topple trees, he said.

Up to 4 feet of storm surge inundation — which Morales defined as “water above normally dry ground” — could also affect Charleston and other coastal areas Sept. 29 through Oct. 2.

“These are not what I would consider catastrophic, but these are certainly enough to cause issues with flooding roads,” he said.

John Quagliariello, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Columbia, anticipated the storm would have impacts throughout the Palmetto State.

He cited the potential for heavy rainfall, flash flooding, landslides and isolated tornadoes, adding officials plan to issue additional watches in the state as Ian moves north.

Local forecasters are expecting 6 to 8 inches of rain in the Charleston area between Sept. 28 and Oct. 1. Tides could reach moderate flood levels of over 7.5 feet on the coast, to major coastal flood levels of over 8 feet on Sept. 29, and remain there through the weekend.

As of 8 p.m. Sept. 27, Ian was 180 miles south-southwest of Punta Gorda, Fla., and roughly 600 miles southwest of Charleston. It is trudging north-northeast at 10 mph.

Ian, a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 120 mph, is expected to gather more strength after battering western Cuba as it makes its way through the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida’s western coast.

Forecasters expect the storm will reach Category 4 with wind speeds between 130 and 156 mph before spearing through Florida Sept. 28 — a day earlier than previously forecasted — “as an extremely dangerous major hurricane,” according to the National Hurricane Center’s latest advisory.

As it moves north on land, Ian is expected to lose steam but Morales warned there is a chance the storm could regain strength again if it continues to shift east over the warm waters of the Atlantic. Both Morales and Joe Coates, Charleston County’s emergency management director, called that a “worst-case scenario.”

Current projections say by Oct. 1, the storm is expected to settle over Georgia and South Carolina as a tropical storm with wind speeds between 39 and 73 mph.

Because of the track’s uncertainty, Coates said the county doesn’t plan to announce response plans until after Ian makes landfall in Florida. But preparations are underway, including discussions about opening shelters and staging equipment like high-water vehicles for swift water rescues.

“We’re making plans behind the scenes,” he said. “We’re working through scenarios to keep residents safe.”

Coates suggested folks review their emergency plans and restock any expired items in emergency kits. Once the storm arrives, he also encouraged drivers to stay off the roads, but if you must venture out, do not to drive through flooded roads.

For those who live in low-lying areas, he said if you’ve experienced flooding in the past, expect it again. Prepare to ride out the storm on high ground, he said.

The National Weather Service’s Charleston office issued a high rip current risk beginning the morning of Sept. 28. The advisory is extended to all South Carolina beaches.

The county won’t close bridges in high winds, but officials discourage motorists from crossing them, especially when speeds reach 40 mph or higher.

Caitlin Ashworth contributed reporting from the Columbia office. Ema Schumer contributed reporting from Charleston.

Note: This story has been updated with the latest court hearing information.

A Burger King franchisee is apparently not having its way in the Charleston region.

Atlanta-based franchisee Capital Restaurant Group plans to shutter seven money-losing restaurants in the Charleston and Santee areas as part of a recent bankruptcy filing.

The closings could occur as early as Friday when a hearing is set, according to court records.

Capital Restaurant Group wants a bankruptcy judge to release it from leases and franchise agreements so it can cut its losses and close the restaurants. It says it cannot do that under its current arrangement with Miami-based BK Corp., the headquarters of Burger King.

The franchisee owns 24 restaurants in the Charleston, Myrtle Beach and Orangeburg areas under agreements with the fast-food chain. It says it is losing money on seven of them that the corporate office will not allow it to close.

Capital Restaurant Group employs 478 people in the South Carolina communities and up to 600 during peak season, according to the court filing.

The Charleston area is home to six of the seven restaurants the franchisee wants to darken. The other is in Santee on Interstate 95 in Orangeburg County.

According to a court filing earlier this month, the targeted restaurants include the following locations:

Capital Restaurant Group began operating as a Burger King franchisee in 2010.

“Many of the restaurants had been neglected for years and in need of repairs, upgrades and improvements,” the franchisee said in its bankruptcy filing.

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Capital Restaurant Group said it has “invested and reinvested” in the restaurants in an effort to turn them around and “to deal with many issues, including several issues that were not disclosed.”

The franchisee said over the past nine years it and its employees “have poured their blood, sweat and tears into turning the restaurants around” with varying degrees of success.

“But unfortunately, several do not generate enough revenue to sustain themselves and are a drain on the (franchisee’s) cash flow,” the bankruptcy filing said.

The franchisee claims it has asked Burger King’s corporate office multiple times for permission to close many of the poorly performing restaurants, but it said the requests fell on deaf ears.

“BK Corp. has refused, instead forcing the (franchisee) to continue operating the underperforming restaurants at a loss — while continuing to pay rent, royalties and advertising fees to BK Corp. — under threat of legal action that would surely follow any closures,” according to the filing.

Burger King’s corporate office said its policy is not to “comment on ongoing litigation, including bankruptcy.”

The franchisee also said it has had some major challenges in recent years, including being “battered by several hurricanes,” including Dorian a month ago, “which has caused temporary shutdowns and further drained liquidity.”

The franchisee also claims BK Corp. reduced advertising in one or more markets where the franchisee operates, causing further declines in revenue.

Capital Restaurant Group said bankruptcy reorganization will allow it to “reorganize and save hundreds of jobs.”

The request to shutter the seven restaurants comes after five other Burger King sites closed in the Charleston region in the spring following a dispute over an unpaid loan through a different franchisee. At least two of the sites have reopened.

Another Burger King closed earlier this year as well on Dorchester Road near Joint Base Charleston. It was unrelated to the five other closings.