Title 48, Environmental Protection and Conservation

(a) The Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism shall identify the protected mountain ridge crests in each county by showing them on a map or drawing, describing them in a document, or any combination thereof. These maps, drawings, or documents shall identify the protected mo…

Nothing in this chapter shall prevent any county or municipality from enacting ordinances pursuant to law to prohibit or restrict development or construction on any mountain ridge regardless of elevation, but in no event shall any such ordinance result in less stringent protectio…

This chapter may be cited as the "South Carolina Energy Efficiency Act".

(A) It is the policy of this State to have a comprehensive state energy plan that maximizes to the extent practical environmental quality and energy conservation and efficiency and minimizes the cost of energy throughout the State. To implement this policy there is adopted the Pl…

For the purposes of this chapter, "renewable energy resources" means energy conservation and efficiency, solar photovoltaic energy, solar thermal energy, wind power, hydroelectric power, geothermal energy, tidal energy, wave energy, recycling, hydrogen fuel derived from renewable…

There is established the State Energy Office within the Office of Regulatory Staff which shall serve as the principal energy planning entity for the State. Its primary purpose is to develop and implement a well-balanced energy strategy and to increase the efficiency of use of all…

In carrying out the purposes of the Plan for State Energy Policy, the State Energy Office shall: (1) provide, in cooperation and conjunction with the Governor's Office, informational and technical assistance programs to assist with residential, commercial, governmental, industria…

No public school district may be required to expend more than one hundred dollars a year to comply with the provisions of this chapter.

The State Energy Office annually shall submit to the Governor and the Public Utility Review Committee, the House Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee, and the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee a state energy action plan that includes, but is not limited to: (a)…

In order to avoid duplicative studies, funds shall not be expended by state agencies for studies investigating alternative energy usage or conservation measures without prior approval of the State Energy Office and the Joint Legislative Committee on Energy.

(A) All funds allocated or directed to this State by the federal government relating to energy planning, energy conservation, and energy efficiency must be allocated or directed to the State Energy Office in the Office of Regulatory Staff to be distributed in accordance with the …

Where possible, the State Energy Office shall encourage consolidating other offices or programs in state government related to energy, energy efficiency, and energy reliability.

The establishment of the State Energy Office within the Office of Regulatory Staff, as provided for in this part, must be evaluated if restructuring or reorganizing of state government takes place so as to identify and provide for the proper placement of the office upon restructu…

Funding for the State Energy Office, as created in this part, must be derived from existing financial resources available to the State and may be derived from oil overcharge funds. Personnel for the State Energy Office must be derived from the consolidation of existing state gove…

The State Energy Office shall develop energy efficient code standards for state-owned and leased buildings, including public school buildings. These standards must provide for life-cycle cost-effectiveness.

(A)(1) Each state agency and public school district shall submit for approval to the State Energy Office an energy conservation plan for buildings in use on July 1, 2008, with a goal to reduce energy consumption by at least one percent annually for five consecutive years beginnin…

An agency's budget must not be reduced by the full amount of money saved through energy conservation measures. Appropriate financial incentives to encourage the reinvestment of energy costs savings into additional energy conservation areas must be provided. Energy savings must be…

Pursuant to Section 48-52-630, an agency's savings realized in the prior fiscal year from implementing an energy conservation measure as compared to a baseline energy use as certified by the State Energy Office, may be retained and carried forward into the current fiscal year. Th…

(A) A vendor of energy conservation products making an energy conservation claim and attempting to sell to state government shall submit the product to the State Energy Office for evaluation and certification. (B) Energy conservation products certified by the State Energy Office …

The State Energy Office shall establish a mechanism for a revolving loan fund for state agencies and political subdivisions of the State to use for energy conservation measures. Repayment may be from the savings in the entity's utility budget.

(A) A state agency or political subdivision of the State may enter into lease purchase agreements for a duration of more than one year with vendors of energy efficiency products and utility companies. No funds disclaimer clause as provided for in Section 11-35-2030 is required in…

(A) A governmental unit may enter into a guaranteed energy, water, or wastewater savings contract for a duration of more than one year with vendors of guaranteed energy, water, or wastewater savings programs. The financing for the guaranteed energy, water, or wastewater savings c…

(A) The State Energy Office shall assist the Materials Management Office as established in Section 11-35-810 and all governmental bodies defined in and subject to the Consolidated Procurement Code, by identifying goods which are "energy efficient" or for which the State can achie…

This article may be cited as the "Energy Independence and Sustainable Construction Act of 2007".

As used in this article: (1) "Board" means the State Fiscal Accountability Authority's governing board. (2) "Building project" means the design, construction, renovation, operation, and maintenance of any inhabited physical structure and its associated project building site. (3) …

The purpose of this section is to promote effective energy and environmental standards for construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance of buildings in this State, improving the state's capacity to design, build, and operate high-performance buildings and creating new jobs and c…

(A)(1)(a) The board shall automatically adopt by reference the most current editions of the rating systems developed by Green Building Initiative and U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design used for certification pursuant to this article. Upon …

A major facility project, as defined in Section 48-52-810(10), requesting third-party certification shall not be allowed to seek a rating credit or point for building product disclosure and optimization credit that requires material ingredient reporting; and, the language would a…

(A)(1) All major facility projects in this State, as defined in Section 48-52-810(10)(i), must be designed, constructed, and at least certified as receiving two globes using the Green Globes Rating System or receiving the LEED Silver standard. All major facility projects in this …

(A) In order to become certified using a LEED rating system, a major facility project shall register with USGBC prior to filing the first building construction permit application. USGBC shall have the sole discretion in determining whether a major facility project receives certif…

(A) In order to become certified using a Green Globes Rating System, a major facility project shall register with GBI prior to filing the first building construction permit application. GBI shall have the sole discretion in determining whether a major facility project receives ce…

The board annually shall submit a report regarding major facility projects to the General Assembly that includes: (1) the number and types of buildings designed and constructed; (2) the level of certification of each building designed, constructed, or renovated; (3) actual saving…

(A)(1) There is established the Energy Independence and Sustainable Construction Advisory Committee. The committee shall consist of thirteen members, ten of which shall be appointed by the Governor for terms of four years until their successors are appointed and qualified. The co…

(A) The Energy Efficient Manufactured Homes Incentive Program is established to provide financial incentives for the purchase and installation of energy efficient manufactured homes in South Carolina. Any person who purchases a manufactured home designated by the United States En…

(A) Each agency must consider reductions of its energy, water, and wastewater use, and must implement recommended conservation measures to the degree the agency determines that the measures are cost effective. An audit must be performed by internal or external auditors, or by an …

As used in this chapter: (1) "Litter" means all waste material including, but not limited to, bottles, glass, crockery, cans, paper, plastic, rubber, garbage, offal, waste building material at construction sites, disposable packages, or containers thrown or deposited as prohibite…

No vehicle which transports litter may be driven or moved on any highway unless the litter is secured by means of a covering which is fastened securely so as to prevent any of its load from dropping, sifting, leaking, or otherwise escaping from the vehicle.

A person violating the provisions of this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not less than fifty nor more than two hundred dollars for each offense.

(A) There is established the Take Palmetto Pride in Where You Live Commission under the auspices of, and staffed by, the Department of Natural Resources. The commission shall serve as the lead agency for statewide litter removal, litter reduction and prevention, and litter law en…

The commission shall survey the incidence of litter violations and the primary type and locations of litter in this State; the system, frequency, method, and personnel used in the removal of litter; the existence and sponsorship of litter reduction and prevention programs and cam…

(A) To provide effective, statewide litter removal, reduction and prevention, and litter law enforcement, the commission shall develop a Strategic State Plan for Litter, which must be balanced and comprehensive, but flexible and dynamic in order to be revised and expanded to enco…

(A) Biennially, the commission shall review and evaluate its Strategic State Plan for Litter to identify areas of progress and improvement in attaining the overall goal of reducing litter in this State and barriers to achieving this goal. Accordingly, the commission shall revise …

(A) The South Carolina Environmental Awareness Award must be presented annually by a committee of two members appointed from each of the following: (1) South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control by its commissioner; (2) State Commission of Forestry by its chair…

The committee shall establish procedures for: (1) conducting and scheduling its meetings; (2) receiving nominations for the award; and (3) selecting the recipient of the award.

Presentation of the award and all related announcements must be made annually the first week in February. It must recognize outstanding contributions made toward the conservation of South Carolina's environment for the previous year. The recipient shall: (1) exemplify extraordina…

It is the purpose of this chapter to: (1) create a voluntary pilot program by which the department may enter into not more than ten cooperative agreements with eligible participants to test and evaluate innovative environmental approaches to achieve superior environmental perform…