TO EXPRESS THE SUPPORT OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FOR CLEAN ENERGY GROWTH THROUGHOUT ALL OF SOUTH CAROLINA.

Whereas, the House of Representatives led the way in unanimously passing the Energy Freedom Act (Act 62 of 2019) in order to advance clean energy competition in South Carolina; and

Whereas, the Energy Freedom Act states that the State of South Carolina has a "policy of encouraging renewable energy"; and

Whereas, the Energy Freedom Act states that "It is the intent of the General Assembly to expand the opportunity to support solar energy and support access to solar energy options for all South Carolinians, including those who lack the income to afford the upfront investment in solar panels or those who do not own their homes or have suitable rooftops"; and

Whereas, the Energy Freedom Act states that "it is the intent of the General Assembly to continue enabling market-driven, private investment in distributed energy resources across the State by reducing regulatory and administrative burdens to customer installation and utilization of onsite distributed energy resources"; and

Whereas, across South Carolina, clean and readily abundant forms of energy are powering more homes and business than ever before; and

Whereas, the clean energy sector is a growing part of the economy and has been a key driver of economic growth in the Palmetto State in recent years, with South Carolina home to the largest wind turbine testing facility in the United States, nearly 3,000 solar energy jobs and over 1,500 wind energy jobs; and

Whereas, clean energy will be a critical part of our State's energy and economic future with over 10,000 jobs predicted from clean energy growth. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, express their strong support for clean energy growth throughout all of South Carolina.

Be it further resolved that the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives express a strong desire for Santee Cooper, or its successor, to achieve a generation mix of one hundred percent clean energy by 2050 because of the job-creating potential and bill-reducing benefits of clean energy.

Be it further resolved that the members of the South Carolina House express a strong desire for any transition to one hundred percent clean energy for Santee Cooper, or its successor, to include a fair and equitable transition for workers in fossil fuel generation to clean energy generation.

Be it further resolved that the members of the South Carolina House express strong support for increased transparency and accountability for all energy decisions in South Carolina in order to prevent future debacles like the V.C. Summer nuclear project failure.