What was the settlement in the Santee Cooper case?
A South Carolina state judge has approved a $520 million settlement in a customer class action lawsuit against state-owned utility Santee Cooper over increased rates for a failed nuclear construction project COLUMBIA, S.C.
Who is Santee Cooper?
As the state’s largest energy supplier, Santee Cooper currently serves approximately two million people in all forty-six counties of South Carolina.
How will Toshiba’s $976 million settlement with Santee Cooper affect customers?
Santee Cooper has claimed it will use the $976 million from its settlement with Westinghouse to mitigate the cost for customers, but considering Toshiba’s financial situation, that outcome is uncertain.
How many power plants does Santee Cooper have?
Santee Cooper is a quasi-public South Carolina utility that operates four coal-fired power plants, a hydro plant, a nuclear plant, and several natural gas plants. The proposed settlement encompasses ten units at four coal-fired power plants and two proposed new coal-fired units.
Will I get a check from Santee Cooper settlement?
Class Members who are current customers of Santee Cooper or an electric cooperative and whose payment is at least $25.00 will receive payment in the form of a check to the address on file with Santee Cooper or an electric cooperative (or to any better address that can be found or you may provide).
Who gets Santee Cooper settlement?
The terms: Under the agreement, Santee Cooper will compensate its ratepayers to the tune of $200 million and freeze electricity rates for four years, while Dominion will pay $320 million.
What did the Santee Cooper do?
Constructed from 1939 to 1942, the Santee Cooper Power and Navigation Project provided hydroelectric power from the Santee and Cooper rivers and improved navigation from the coast to the midlands through the creation of Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie.
How did the Santee Cooper project affect SC?
The Santee Cooper Power and Navigation Project, begun in 1939, did much to stimulate South Carolina's economy after the Great Depression. The project improved navigation on and provided hydroelectric power from the Santee and Cooper rivers to Berkeley, Georgetown and Horry counties.
Can my lawyer cash my settlement check?
While your lawyer cannot release your settlement check until they resolve liens and bills associated with your case, it's usually best to be patient so you don't end up paying more than necessary.
Does Dominion own Santee Cooper?
Answer: Santee Cooper, The South Carolina Public Service Authority, is owned by the State of South Carolina and is the only state-owned electric utility in the state. The board is able to approve rate changes without the consent of the South Carolina Public Service Commission.
Is Santee Cooper a man made lake?
0:051:37Santee Cooper Presents: Creating The Lakes - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThe areas where the lakes were to be formed were heavily forested and nearly 9,000 workers from allMoreThe areas where the lakes were to be formed were heavily forested and nearly 9,000 workers from all around the state were employed to log clear and mill the timber.
Where does Santee Cooper get its electricity?
Santee Cooper Green Power is electricity we generate from renewable resources like wind, solar and landfill gas. Santee Cooper Green Power helps preserve the environment, reduces demand on our non-renewable natural resources and increases our energy independence.
When was Santee built?
Established in 1779 under the direction of Father Junipero Serra, and built by the Kumeyaay Indians, the dam provided water to the land of Mission de Alcala. The Spanish parceled this region into land grants and divided the grants among Spanish soldiers in payment for services rendered.
Is Santee Cooper a public utility?
Welcome to Investor Relations. Santee Cooper is South Carolina's state-owned electric and water utility, the state's largest power provider, and one of the nation's largest public power utilities. Santee Cooper supplies electricity to more than 190,000 retail customers in Berkeley, Georgetown and Horry counties.
How many power plants does Santee Cooper have?
six Green Power Generating StationsSantee Cooper is the only energy provider in South Carolina converting landfill methane gas into clean, homegrown electricity at six Green Power Generating Stations with a combined capacity of 28 MW. As the name implies, woody biomass uses woody material from trees or shrubs to produce electricity.
Is Santee Cooper a state agency?
Santee Cooper is a state agency that provides wholesale power supply and direct retail electric service to approximately 180,000 retail customer accounts and 27 large industrial customers.
How many power plants does Santee Cooper have?
six Green Power Generating StationsSantee Cooper is the only energy provider in South Carolina converting landfill methane gas into clean, homegrown electricity at six Green Power Generating Stations with a combined capacity of 28 MW. As the name implies, woody biomass uses woody material from trees or shrubs to produce electricity.
How do you fish Santee Cooper?
0:464:17Lay of the Lake - Breaking down Santee Cooper - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSomething you definitely need to take into consideration. Getting ready anytime you want to go onMoreSomething you definitely need to take into consideration. Getting ready anytime you want to go on santee cooper to fish lake marion like i said is a huge lake you go down some of the guys from tahoe.
Is Santee Cooper a state agency?
Santee Cooper is a state agency that provides wholesale power supply and direct retail electric service to approximately 180,000 retail customer accounts and 27 large industrial customers.
Where is Santee Cooper Lake located?
Charleston South CarolinaBoth lakes are located in the lower part of the state near Charleston South Carolina. The Santee-Cooper Lakes cover land in 5 different counties including: Berkeley, Calhoun, Clarendon, Orangeburg, and Sumter.
What was the settlement for Santee Cooper?
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- A South Carolina state judge on Monday approved a $520 million settlement in a customer class action lawsuit against state-owned utility Santee Cooper over increased rates for a failed nuclear construction project.
How long will Santee Cooper freeze electric rates?
Monday's finalized deal also requires Santee Cooper to freeze electric rates for four years, which lawyers said could be worth up to $510 million, according to the Post and Courier.
How much is the settlement for Santee Cooper?
As we noted in July, $200 million of this settlement (which is intended to benefit the ratepayers of Santee Cooper) is being paid for by Santee Cooper.
Who was Santee Cooper's partner in the original Nukegate?
It should … this is exactly what happened a year ago with the settlement “ awarded ” to ratepayers of now-defunct SCANA, which was Santee Cooper’s partner in the original NukeGate fleecing.
Is Santee Cooper dishonest?
Santee Cooper has continued in its dishonesty and tone deafness ever since … all while offering nothing resembling a plan to address its multi-billion dollar debt.
Who approved the $520 million deal?
As we reported in late July, former S.C. chief justice Jean Toal approved a $520 million agreement to ostensibly help ratepayers victimized by Santee Cooper’s ongoing negligence and deception related to the notorious NukeGate debacle of 2017.
Does Santee Cooper pay for their own refunds?
In other words, Santee Cooper ratepayers are ultimately paying a huge chunk of the cost of their own refunds.
What is Santee Cooper?
The South Carolina Public Service Authority, known commonly as Santee Cooper, was created in 1934 during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “new deal” initiative in an effort to provide electricity to South Carolina’s farmers and small towns. Supplying energy to the entire state was, at the time, a massive undertaking beyond ...
Who is responsible for Santee Cooper?
The General Assembly bears full responsibility for Santee Cooper’s creation and unaccountable discretionary powers. Santee Cooper and SCANA are under two different regulatory structures, but lawmakers are entirely accountable for both.
How much debt does Santee Cooper have?
Santee Cooper borrowed heavily to finance its share of the project. Currently, the utility has an outstanding debt exceeding $7 billion, $4.4 billion of which is due to the nuclear project, and its customers are obligated to pay nearly all of it. Santee Cooper has claimed it will use the $976 million from its settlement with Westinghouse ...
What was the purpose of the Santee Cooper monopoly?
In Santee Cooper, lawmakers created a state monopoly with the extraordinary power to arbitrarily control consumer’s rates and obligate them to pay billions of dollars in debt. They are the only ones who answer to citizens, and are accountable for creating the system that has allowed this disaster to occur.
Is Santee Cooper a state owned company?
Unlike its partner SCE&G, which as an investor-owned utility is subject to oversight by the Public Service Commission and Office of Regulatory Staff and regulated by the provisions of the Base Load Review Act (BLRA), Santee Cooper is a state-owned and operated agency with virtually no external accountability.
Is Santee Cooper a public utility?
As a public utility, Santee Cooper was able to receive loans and grants from the federal government, which outlined the intended purposes of the utility, including the creation of a state-wide energy system where smaller energy distributors (co-ops) scattered around the state purchased power at wholesale prices from Santee Cooper.
Does Santee Cooper have shareholders?
Unlike SCANA, whose shareholders hold equity in the utility and could bear some of the cost for the failed project, Santee Cooper does not have shareholders. When it sells bonds to generate additional capital, the debt it incurs must be paid by ratepayers because they are the only source of revenue the utility has.
State Participation
- The State of South Carolina was an active partner in the negotiations and was instrumental in obtaining the agreement's significant pollution reductions. South Carolina is a signatory to the consent decree and a co-plaintiff on the United States' Complaint and will be a key player in the c…
Power Plants Enforcement Effort
- The Department of Justice at EPA's request has filed lawsuits against several coal-fired electric utilities, most recently in January against East Kentucky Power Cooperative. This series of cases seeks to bring the coal-fired power plant industry into full compliance with the New Source Review requirements of the Clean Air Act. The Santee Cooper settlement represents the seventh judicia…
Clean Air Act Violations
- Based on information received from the company, EPA alleges Santee Cooper violated the Clean Air Act by undertaking construction activities that increased pollution at some units without first applying for an NSR Clean Air Act permit. An NSR permit would have required Santee Cooper to take steps to reduce emissions at the time of the activities.
Environmental Benefits
- This settlement requires Santee Cooper to install state-of-the-art air pollution controls on certain units and upgrade other existing air pollution controls. The controls will result in the removal of approximately 37,500 tons per year of SO2 and 29,500 tons per year of NOx from Santee Cooper's existing coal-fired units. The settlement also requires Santee Cooper to retire excess SO2 emissi…
Environmentally Beneficial Projects
- Santee Cooper will spend at least $4.5 million to finance environmental mitigation projects, including: $1.25 million for a South Carolina Land Conservation Project, $1 million for an Energy-Efficient Technologies Project, $1 million for a Demand-Side Management Project, $1 million for a Clean Diesel School Bus Project, and $250,000 to implement an Environmental Management Sy…
Location of Santee Cooper Coal-Burning Power Plants Covered Under Consent Decree
- Cross Plant - Pineville, Berkeley County, S.C., consisting of coal-fired units 1 (620 MW), 2 (540 MW), 3 (660 MW- to be constructed), and 4 (660 MW - to be constructed).
- Grainger Plant - Conway, Horry County, S.C., consisting of coal-fired units 1 (85 MW) and 2 (85 MW). ! Jefferies Plant - Moncks Corner, Berkeley County, S.C. and consisting of coal-fired unit 3 (15...
- Cross Plant - Pineville, Berkeley County, S.C., consisting of coal-fired units 1 (620 MW), 2 (540 MW), 3 (660 MW- to be constructed), and 4 (660 MW - to be constructed).
- Grainger Plant - Conway, Horry County, S.C., consisting of coal-fired units 1 (85 MW) and 2 (85 MW). ! Jefferies Plant - Moncks Corner, Berkeley County, S.C. and consisting of coal-fired unit 3 (15...
- Winyah Plant - Georgetown, Georgetown County, S.C., consisting of coal-fired units 1 (295 MW), 2 (295 MW), 3 (295 MW), and 4 (270 MW).
For Additional Information, Contact
- Edward Messina U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2242A) 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Washington, DC 20460-0001 (202) 564-1191 [email protected]