How to scale back SCANA’s influence

Now that the bottom has fallen out of the nuclear construction project with 5,600 jobs lost, and ratepayers are on the hook a $9 billion hole in the ground, legislators, many of whom have received campaign donations from SCANA, are investigating this fiasco and blaming everyone else; some (but not many) are even blaming themselves. SCANA is blaming Westinghouse. Santee Cooper is blaming SCANA. Meanwhile, there has been a resignation (with a golden parachute settlement) and a lot of “performance” bonuses SCANA executives received for doing such a great job for their shareholders.

Why haven’t we heard anything about an independent investigation? Why haven’t we heard any meaningful dialogue with real solutions to prevent this from ever happening again? We can repeal the Base Load Review Act, demand a few resignations, sell off Santee Cooper, but how does any of that prevent SCANA (which has way too much influence over our legislators) from getting another law passed that benefits the company at our expense?

With these self-righteous politicians demanding answers and suing for a fiasco they helped create, we need to be looking at changing who we elect, as well as how we can reduce SCANA’s influence at the State House. It is a monopoly that squeezes out competition, and it is why we have the third-highest utility costs while we are near the bottom of the country in cost of living. We deserve better.

This story was originally published September 17, 2017 at 6:09 PM with the headline "How to scale back SCANA’s influence."