2 weeks Ago
With the S.C. Senate debating energy policy this week, it’s imperative that we recall what President Donald Trump emphasized in his address to Congress: Lowering energy costs is crucial for reducing prices nationwide.
Upon taking office, the president signed an executive order to “protect the United States economic and national security and military preparedness by ensuring that an abundant supply of reliable energy is readily accessible in every State and territory of the Nation.” This is precisely the focus we need in South Carolina. Now is the time to advance real solutions that cut costs, increase competition and secure our economic future.
One of the most impactful measures under consideration is limited retail choice — a commonsense, free-market reform that allows our largest industries, including those supporting our nation’s military, to purchase electricity on the open market. This reform can dismantle the monopoly grip that utility companies have held over South Carolina’s job creators for far too long. For years, affordable electricity has not been a priority, resulting in the loss of thousands of jobs to states with more competitive energy markets.
Major employers such as Fujifilm, Mohawk, Timken, Ascend, Tupperware, WestRock and International Paper have shuttered their plants and left South Carolina behind. Many of these companies provided crucial materials for our military and products that protected our troops in battle. Their departure is not just an economic loss for South Carolina; it is a national security failure for our nation.
We cannot allow history to repeat itself. Nineteen states have already embraced some form of retail choice, and the results speak for themselves. A report from the Palmetto Industrial Energy Association found that states with retail choice saw electricity costs decrease over an eight-year period, while monopoly-controlled states experienced rate hikes.
These free-market solutions work, and they will work here in South Carolina. Opponents claim that retail choice is too risky, but the truth is, versions of this policy are already in place in Georgia and Virginia. If our neighbors can do it, why can we not do it in South Carolina? Why should we let bureaucrats and utility companies dictate our energy future when we have the opportunity to create competition, lower prices and strengthen our state's economy? I urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to support the president’s energy agenda here at home by backing limited retail choice.
I also encourage every South Carolinian to demand action on this issue. South Carolina deserves energy independence. By embracing retail choice, we unlock our full economic potential, keep industries in our state and ensure that South Carolina and the United States remain strong.
Tom Fernandez serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee and represents Senate District 39..
