Conservationists ask SC lawmakers for energy and agriculture support during lobby day

A group made up of nearly 100 advocates, volunteers, farmers and conservationists of all kinds told South Carolina legislators that they wanted to see support for conservation of agricultural land and clean, affordable energy at the 21st annual Conservation Lobby Day on Feb. 6.

As South Carolina’s farmland rapidly dwindles in the wake of development, lobbyists celebrated a bill that would compensate farmers who voluntarily protected their land for environmental purposes. Others spoke about high utility bills, specifically in disadvantaged areas of the state, and asked policymakers to include third-party groups to prioritize energy efficiency.

Many people who came to lobby were part of the South Carolina Conservation Coalition, a group made up of over 40 organizations across the state. In addition to energy and agriculture, those who attended supported a bill proposing tax credits for trails and another bill that would require posted signs to clearly point out areas in waterways are pollution discharge points. They also asked for state-level protection of wetlands.

Kiammie Freeman, a veteran, herbalist and small business owner from Aiken, came out for lobby day to support conservation efforts for the second time this year. She believes environmental issues and health are connected and hopes others in the state will become more involved in.

“If their environment is sick, they’ll be sick,” she said. “It’s not rocket science. If the soil is done, we’re done.”Freeman, whose father was a farmer in Georgia, said she has been around agriculture her whole life. Now, she’s an urban farmer and is working to open a community garden in Aiken in addition to leading environmental education summits and homesteading meetups, she said.

Her company, previously named Earthly Rooted, was rebranded to Earth Synergetic Flow after she began to include an environmental focus in her work, which primarily centered around agritourism and wellness. She said she made the switch because environmental issues affect all aspects of her business, which led her to use the term "synergetic flow."

"I'm an herbalist and a nutritionist. So, we heal from herbs, which come from the earth, so you know it all goes together," Freeman said.

Freeman was particularly excited about the Working Agricultural Lands Preservation Act, a House bill that passed the Senate Feb. 6, and would assist with permanent protection for some farmland in the state.

According to a report from the American Farmland Trust, South Carolina lost more than 280,000 acres of farmland to development between 2001-2016. The bill would compensate farmers who protect their land through a conservation easement, or a type of permanent protection from commercial or residential development using funds from the proposed Working Farmland Protection Fund.

The Working Agricultural Lands Preservation Act was introduced by Rep. Patrick Haddon, a Republican from Greenville who is also a farmer.

"In South Carolina, we're a pretty small state, we still have a lot of land, but we don't have a lot of farms relative to other states," Haddon said Tuesday. "This is just another option that says if you want to put yourself in the development rights and get a grant from the Conservation Bank, which the state funds, then you have that option to do that."

The Working Agricultural Lands Preservation Act was one of three bills the coalition endorsed. The group also promoted a bill that would require groups that are part of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System to identify areas of pollutant discharge with clearly visible posted signs. Another bill supported would provide an income tax credit to property owners who add public recreational trails to their property.

Members of the coalition also expressed concern over wetlands following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett vs. Environmental Protection Agency. The court ruled that the Clean Water Act only protects wetlands that are directly connected to waters of the United States, or water bodies that are subject to the ebb and flow of the tide and have been or could be used for transportation purposes. The decision could leave thousands of acres of isolated wetlands previously protected in South Carolina in jeopardy.

Several attendees said they are worried about clean energy options and the cost of utilities in South Carolina, along with a proposed gas plant in the southern part of the state.

Columbia residents Zakiya Esper and Shayne Kinloch said they’ve seen higher energy costs for residents in rural areas, who pay far more for their electricity than residents in urban areas.

"Most folks who are most impacted by this issue have always been forced conservationists, right? So, people who are poor or disadvantaged, especially financially, they know what it means to conserve energy," said Esper, who works as a lobbyist with nonprofit organization Sustaining Way and the South Carolina Energy Justice Coalition.

She and Kinloch, both South Carolina natives, grew up in households where energy was precious, Esper said.

"Shayne and I grew up in households where our grandmothers were yelling, as soon as we went out the front door to ‘Close my door, make sure you're not letting out all that air’ or where we had to be really strategic about, like, how we took baths and the order in which we took baths because you can run out of hot water if your home is energy inefficient," she said.

Across the county, residents in rural areas tend to spend higher percentages of their income on electricity. For example, according to U.S. Department of Energy’s Low-Income Energy Affordability Data tool, Greenville County residents spend about 2% of their income on energy costs, while Union County residents spend about 5% of their income.

Additionally, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a nonprofit research organization, ranked South Carolina 49th in the country in energy efficiency, or the amount of energy it takes to perform a task.

Kinloch, who works as the program director for the South Carolina Energy Justice Coalition, said energy affects all areas of life.

"There is not any social category that is not affected by energy justice," Kinloch said. "You're talking about education, you're talking about healthcare, you're talking about economics, you're talking about legislation, you're talking about policy, everything. And it also affects every generation, from an infant to an elderly."

Following the lobby day, coalition members, attendees and legislators gathered for an oyster roast.

During the meal, Haddon said that while his main focus has been on the Working Agricultural Lands Act, he learned about other conservation efforts after speaking to attendees on lobby day.

"Something I learned is that conservation has a lot of different perspectives. In my mind, I was going after just saving the farm -- food production, food sustainability, do we get South Carolina to where South Carolina produces the food that we need? But when you look at other groups, just like the Audubon Society, you know, they taught me about buffers buffer zone," he said. "That's not something that was I was thinking about, I'll admit that. But it takes all it takes all these groups to educate me."

Sarah Swetlik covers climate change and environmental issues in South Carolina's Upstate for The Greenville News. Reach her at sswetlik@gannett.com or on X at @sarahgswetlik.

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