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Wetlands regulations in limbo

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Conservationists are alarmed and surprised by a state House of Representatives resolution that would loosen rules governing development along the coast for the first time in three decades.

The House passed the measure Wednesday in a voice vote, which means there is no record of how individual representatives voted.

The resolution requires the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and its Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management to review current coastal zone management policies.

Any new coastal development regulations recommended by DHEC would require General Assembly approval.

Wednesday's vote in the House moves the measure to the Senate.

Many developers favor the change. Conservationists, however, call it an assault on the state's environment, said Elizabeth Hagood, former chair of the DHEC board.

"The coastal regs have been the basis of our coastal laws for the past 30 years without a problem," Hagood said. "If there is a problem, let's address it transparently. This has not been discussed with all the different stakeholders."

The proposed resolution stems from a state Administrative Law Court case regarding Georgetown developer Spectre LLC, who wanted to fill 32 acres of isolated freshwater wetlands-- those not connected to a surface water system like a creek or river. The OCRM denied the developer's request. Spectre appealed.

In February, Administrative Law Judge John McLeod ruled the state's coastal management program wasn't legally developed. That ruling is being appealed by five environmental groups.

In April, Reps. William Witherspoon, R-Conway, and Dwight Loftis, R-Greenville, proposed the resolution.

Michael Hitchcock, assistant clerk of the Senate, said the resolution would most likely go to Senate committee first. If it is not heard before the session ends June 5, the resolution would have to be re-introduced next year, he said.

Spectre's attorney, Stan Barnett in Mount Pleasant, said he supports the resolution and that it's the right thing to do.

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