Advocacy

Everyone loves a good ice cream sundae with gooey chocolate sauce, walnuts, whipped cream and a cherry on top. Forget about the calories and sit back and imagine the coolness of this summer time treat.

By Holly Fisher

South Carolinians, take notice. The Base Load Review Act allowed SCE&G to charge us some of the highest electricity rates in the southeast for the construction of V.C. Summer- an abandoned, unfinished nuclear power plant that will never produce power. SCE&G was able to raise our rates 9 times in less than 10 years, including a full year and a half after knowing the doomed fate of the nuclear project. So far, SCE&G parent company SCANA’s shareholders received $529 million of the $2 billion paid by SCE&G customers for V.C. Summer.

South Carolinians go to the polls this month to vote in primary elections for governor, lieutenant governor and other statewide offices. Do you know where the gubernatorial hopefuls stand on issues important to people 50 and older?

The South Carolina Senate could vote at any moment on extremely important bills to protect utility ratepayers like you.

AARP South Carolina supports a full repeal of the Base Load Review Act, which allowed SCE&G to charge customers for the nuclear power plant as it was being constructed. Unfortunately, accountability and transparency went by the wayside with the passage of the BLRA. Click here to tell your state senator to pass House Bill 4375 or call this toll free number 1-844-250-5544 to be connected to your Senator.

The South Carolina House of Representatives has taken an important step toward helping utility ratepayers by approving HB4379, which establishes a Utility Consumer Advocate. The bill received nearly unanimous approval and now goes to the state Senate for consideration.

An audit by the SC Office of Regulatory Staff released Friday, January 19, says that SCE&G would not be forced in bankruptcy if they discontinue charging customers for an abandoned nuclear project.

It’s been 55 years since Martin Luther King Jr. gave his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, changing the course of civil rights in America. AARP South Carolina invites members to celebrate the MLK holiday weekend, Jan. 12-15, in Myrtle Beach.

What are the next steps for consumers in the V. C. Summer nuclear abandonment?