Columbia, SC (WLTX) - Lawmakers were awaiting a debate in the Senate, at the South Carolina State House, dealing with the repealing of the Base Load Review Act (BLRA).
Lawmakers voted to approve the BLRA in 2007. The law allowed utility companies to raise the rates for their customers in advance of a project. As a result, SCANA was able to raise the electric rates of SCE&G customers nine times for the nuclear reactor project at the VC Summer Nuclear Plant.
Now the Public Service Commission is working to determine who will be responsible for paying for the abandonment of construction at the plant.
"There was no way to predict or know that you would have the absolute just mismanagement and abuse of the law since it passed," says Senator Nikki Setzler, D-Senate Minority Leader. Sen. Setzler helped draft the bill back in 2007. "We had no way of knowing that and it would never have passed if there was."
On Wednesday, Senators took up H. 4375 that works to repeal the BLRA. Without much debate the Senate passed the second reading of the bill with unanimous consent.
The bill will stop the BLRA going forward.
“I don't think that we can retroactively repeal everything, as much as many of us would like to be able to do that,” says Sen. Shane Massey, R-Senate Majority Leader. “I know the public would like us to do that, I would like to do that as an SCE&G customer. I don’t think that would work. I don't think the courts would allow that. So, we have to cut it off now and not allow anything to happen in the future.”
They will likely take a vote on the third reading Thursday. However, lawmakers do have time despite the end of session being one day away.
The Senate and House passed a Sine Die resolution allowing them to return on May 23-24 and June 27-28 to further discuss VC Summer bills and the budget.