Let’s hail a champion for nature and conservation in South Carolina

On Mark Robertson

Once in a while an individual comes along who changes our lives for the better — sometimes without our even knowing about it.

Mark Robertson, who for the past 20 years has been executive director of The Nature Conservancy in South Carolina, is such a person.

He is retiring at the end of this month.

Mark has made a difference in our state’s conservation movement, and by doing so he has made a significant difference for everyone in South Carolina.

Before coming to South Carolina in 1999, Mark was in charge of The Nature Conservancy’s Florida Keys conservation program (which he launched); in addition Mark had a leadership role in passing legislation to protect North America’s only tropical coral reef.

South Carolina is a state that depends on its natural resources for a better quality of life and a robust economy.

Our tourism industry generates thousands of jobs and billions of dollars for our citizens.

Our largest private sector employer is the forest products industry, which is also is one of the major customers of the Port of Charleston.

No other state depends more on a strong conservation movement than South Carolina. And no person has done more for statewide conservation than Mark Robertson.

Under Mark’s leadership, The Nature Conservancy has protected over 230,000 acres either by easements or outright purchases including lands now in the public domain for recreation and other outdoor activities.

Mark has been a relentless advocate for state and federal funding to protect our land and water through coastal marine preservation, as well as through programs to safeguard our forests and our wildlife.

Among Mark’s many accomplishments include:

▪ Leading a partnership effort with the Department of Natural Resources to purchase for permanent protection 38,000 acres from International Paper Company (the largest such acquisition in South Carolina).

▪ Helping to expanding our reach to protect South Carolina’s freshwater systems, as well as thousands of acres in the Southern Blue Ridge..

▪ Developing a professional science-based staff that will carry on the good work of The Nature Conservancy under the leadership of Dale Threatt-Taylor, who will succeed Mark next month. She currently leads a public soil and water conservation program in North Carolina, and we are confident that she will take our conservation work to new levels.

As a longtime member of the Board of Trustees, I always felt that Mark did his work out of a desire to improve the natural world for the benefit of all life — human, plants and animals.

It was work that Mark always did with compassion, integrity and grace.

In addition, Mark was ahead of the curve in recognizing that conserving nature requires nature-based solutions. Maybe that’s what leadership is really about: it’s about seeing a solution before others see it and inspiring everyone else to pursue that solution.

That’s what Mark Robertson did for The Nature Conservancy — and for South Carolina.

Arnold Nemirow, Mt. Pleasant

Nemirow is vice chair for The Nature Conservancy in South Carolina’s board of trustees,

On the fetal heartbeat bill

The state Senate will soon consider a fetal heartbeat bill that would outlaw abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy.

During the first six weeks there is no fetus, no heart to beat and no circulatory system; also during that period many women are unaware that they are pregnant. It is estimated that about half of these pregnancies are unintended and unplanned, which increases the likelihood of seeking an abortion.

If our lawmakers are truly concerned about human life, they should consider the fact that nationally South Carolina is ranked ninth in maternal mortality rate, 14th in infant mortality and 40th in the percentage of adults and children without health insurance.

The focus should be on:

▪ Providing medically accurate sex education and free contraception.

▪ Expanding child care programs.

▪ Improving perinatal care.

In addition, expanding Medicaid — which our legislators have repeatedly declined to do — would save hundreds of lives each year.

Only a woman and her doctor should be involved in the decision to terminate a pregnancy, and it’s interesting that the proposed legislation says nothing about the male’s responsibility for a pregnancy.

Let’s be perfectly clear: the fetal heartbeat bill is not motivated by wanting to save lives. If so, legislators would focus on reducing mortality rates of all those they serve — not just on targeting pregnant women.

Roger Sargent, Blythewood

On HomeServe

Recent coverage paints an inaccurate picture of HomeServe’s operations in South Carolina and attempts to stir up controversy where none exists.

For more than eight years, HomeServe has helped South Carolina residents prepare for and deal with often costly home repairs.

In the last year we’ve completed 10,800 jobs in South Carolina, saving homeowners $3.5 million. This repair work was performed by licensed and qualified contractors from the local community.

These optional service plans offered to South Carolina customers are not new; many customers already had one or more repair plans offered through SCE&G years before HomeServe became the program administrator in 2018 — or before the Dominion/SCANA merger earlier this year.

Under the HomeServe-Dominion partnership, customers continue to have access to low-cost plans that cover emergencies not typically covered under homeowners’ insurance.

With an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, HomeServe is committed to operating transparently; all mailings clearly state that they are from HomeServe — and the Dominion logo is used to show that they’re from a trusted partner.

While The State newspaper claims that something nefarious is going on, the reality is that HomeServe has similar partnerships with 750 municipalities and utilities across the country.

There is nothing misleading about that.

Myles Meehan, Norwalk, Conn.

Meehan is the vice president of corporate communications for HomeServe USA, which is based in Norwalk, Conn.

Editor’s note: In response to ratepayer confusion and South Carolina state regulators’ concerns about recent mailings to Dominion Energy S.C. customers, The State investigated the utility’s business relationship with HomeServe USA.

The story fairly and accurately described Dominion’s sale of customer data, including the commission that the utility earns each time one of its customers signs up for a HomeServe plan.

The story also noted HomeServe’s A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, the number of completed jobs for Dominion S.C.’s customers and the history of similar deals between SCE&G, Dominion and HomeServe in South Carolina.

The State made no allegations; it simply cited facts to detail the concerns raised about HomeServe’s mailings to South Carolina ratepayers and to utility customers in other states.

This story was originally published December 6, 2019 at 10:19 AM.