South Carolina House OKs bill they say will keep the lights on. Others worry oversight will be lost

By JEFFREY COLLINS
Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina House has given key approval to a wide-ranging bill that supporters say will make sure the fast-growing state has plenty of electric power. Opponents of the bill that passed 88-21 almost entirely on party lines say the legislation rolls back billions of dollars in lessons learned after a proposed nuclear plant never generated a watt of power. The bill faces one more routine vote before heading to the Senate, where leadership supports the idea of assuring energy flows but is much more skeptical of removing oversight. Supporters say it will help assure utilities can build a natural gas fired plant in the Lowcountry.