Richland County hit with $3 million fine for pollution at Scout Motors site
Richland County is being ordered to pay up to $3 million for violating state pollution rules at the under-construction Scout Motors site north of Columbia.
State regulators have documented numerous instances of sediment and storm water being improperly managed, leading to pollution of the nearby environment, according to a consent order issued by the state Department of Environmental Services to Richland County and Scout Motors.
If Richland County addresses all of the issues raised by the state agency by set deadlines, its fine could be reduced to $1 million. But the county is expected to begin paying the fine immediately, with $85,000 due May 1, according to the consent order.
Still, any environmental fine topping $1 million is unusual in South Carolina, indicating the state’s concern over violations that are serious and not resolved quickly.
The penalty amounts are determined based on the number of violations and the extent of the violations, DES spokeswoman Laura Renwick said in an email Tuesday.
She said her agency will continue to watch activities at the Scout project site to make sure more violations do not occur.
Scout Motors announced in March 2023 its intention to build a $2 billion manufacturing plant to make electric trucks and SUVs in the Midlands. Efforts to construct the plant are already well underway. Richland County owns the land Scout Motors is on near Blythewood.
Earlier this spring, The State reported that mud and other debris from the Scout site had repeatedly been raised as a problem by environmental regulators.
Wetlands had been disturbed without federal permission and land was being cleared too rapidly at the Scout Motors site, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the S.C. Department of Natural Resources said in the summer of 2023.
By March 2024, Richland County — in charge of clearing the site for Scout — found itself in trouble, this time with South Carolina’s environmental protection department over silt that was turning once-clear running creeks into muddy streams, according to public records reviewed by The State.
Months of additional violations followed, according to the Department of Environmental Services timeline of events.
Excessive sediment pollution can choke creeks, making it harder for fish to breathe and smothering the tiny organisms they feed on. It also can spread contaminants that may have been in the soil that runs off the property, Congaree Riverkeeper Bill Stangler previously told The State.
Richland County said it was committed to the Scout project’s success and upholding environmental standards at the site, in a statement from a county spokesperson.
“The June 2024 report was promptly resolved, and a third-party engineering firm was engaged — alongside the state — to ensure full regulatory compliance. Richland County has worked collaboratively to set goals and correct any outstanding issues,” the statement said.
Scout Motors, in a statement following the news of the fines, said the company is still “fully committed” to the launch of the Scout production plant.
“Together with Richland County, Scout Motors has entered into a consent order with the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services that includes specific steps Richland County must take to address the identified deficiencies,” a Scout spokesperson said in a written statement. “Throughout this process, we have maintained open communication with County leadership and the South Carolina Department of Commerce, who we believe will ensure that the County and State’s work on the production site will be in full compliance with environmental regulations.”
This story has been updated with comments from the state Department of Environmental Services
This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 3:42 PM.
