McMaster has ‘no intention’ of returning SCANA contributions after nuclear fallout

S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster said Wednesday he will not return more than $115,000 he received from employees of SCANA, the Cayce-based power company now under fire for leaving customers holding the bill for a now-abandoned nuclear construction project.

“In a campaign we get money from many different sources, and I have no intention to return contributions to people,” McMaster said when asked whether he will give any of the money back, which includes $16,500 in donations from SCANA’s corporate officers.

McMaster spoke to reporters after addressing attendees at an aerospace conference in Columbia. McMaster received at least $115,000 in campaign contributions from SCANA and its employees in June, weeks before the utility and its state-owned partner Santee Cooper announced they were pulling the plug on building two nuclear reactors in Jenkinsville.

“SCANA is a big company here. It's been here a long time,” McMaster added. “They have made contributions to my campaign. They have made contributions to other campaigns.”

McMaster added that it’s important to determine what decisions were made that led to the breakdown of the construction on the nuclear reactors.

“I’ve called for a thorough investigation of that,” he said.

This story was originally published August 30, 2017 at 11:07 AM with the headline "McMaster has ‘no intention’ of returning SCANA contributions after nuclear fallout."