As South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint seeks re-election, three other candidates are vying for the same seat, bringing different approaches. Michael Brown reports on the Democrats running.
NRC finds issues in recent Robinson Nuclear Plant fire
June 4, 2010 By
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it found issues and weaknesses related to a fire and reactor shutdown at the Robinson Nuclear Plant near Hartsville.
NRC staff met in Hartsville Wednesday to discuss the results of an additional inspection of a March 28 reactor shutdown and two fires in the plant’s electrical systems. Roger Hannah, Senior Public Affairs Officer for the US Nuclear Regulatory Office in Atlanta said the results of that inspection led to a total of 14 unresolved items in four different areas: operator performance, equipment performance, fire protection and emergency preparedness.
Most of the unresolved items are in the operator performance area specifically related to oversite in the event by control-room supervisors, some training issues, also some issues with procedures. It’s important to note that these events did not adversely effect the safety of the public during the event. But, they did find that there may have been some weakness by the overall response from Progress Energy.
Hannah said the NRC originally dispatched a three-person special inspection team to the Robinson plant, but further review pointed to the need for additional inspection.
Hannah continued, “If we find that any of these unresolved items may have been violations at NRC regulations, we would enter those into our enforcement procedures, it could lead to increased inspections and oversights, but it’s too early to speculate at this point.”
The NRC will issue a written report of the Augmented Inspection Team (AIT) review in the next several weeks.
General Assembly passes budget, minutes before session’s end (AUDIO)
June 4, 2010 By
Lobbyists wait outside chambers on last day of session
The two-year legislative session wound down Thursday by 5:00 p.m., but it was a little close. With less than 30 minutes left in the regular business calendar, the Senate vote was tied 20 -20 on the state budget. All in one day on Thursday, the budget conference committee reached a new plan, the House passed it after a couple of tries, then it was up to the Senate to end the session on time.
The Senate earlier had made provisions to stay longer Thursday or even Friday to pass the conference report. The bills had to match, or the House would be called back in.
Senate Finance Chair Hugh Leatherman explained that they had to make cuts to health care and prevention-and they were hard cuts.
AUDIO: Sen. Leatherman explains health and prevention cuts (2:19)
After the tie vote and some last-minute grandstanding, the Senate reconsidered and passed the budget by 22-16 –with seven minutes left in the session.
The Senate has adjourned to reconvene on June 15, under a provision called Sine Die, to deal with any budget vetos by the governor.
New law reforms way SC funds unemployment
June 4, 2010 By
Gov. Sanford, backed by Bingham, Ryberg, Finan, Taylor
The state took another step in reforming the state’s employment agency as Gov. Mark Sanford Thursday signed a new law to rebuild the unemployment trust fund. The governor, complete with charts on display to make his points, says this moves the state away from an arbitrary, fixed rate system for businesses to pay in and closer to an insurance-type system where the rates are set.
For too long, the Employment Security Commission (ESC) was a separate island of government with little accountability – and that lack of accountability had real world consequences. Although we addressed those structural problems earlier this year, we’re still faced with the reality that South Carolina has had to borrow almost $1 billion from the federal government to cover the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund’s shortfall. This bill begins the extended process of repaying our state’s debts and being good stewards of this UI Fund going forward by both making abuses of the state’s UI system significantly more difficult and protecting employers who don’t abuse the system.
Rep. Kenny Bingham
Lexington Representative Kenny Bingham and Aiken Senator Greg Ryberg were given credit for pushing this bill through the General Assembly.
“I am pleased that the General Assembly reached bipartisan agreement on the complex reform of the unemployment insurance system,” Ryberg says, ”Any further delay only promised to increase even more the cost to South Carolina businesses. Kicking this can down the road was not an option.”
Bingham says that two years ago in subcommittee, it only took him 30 seconds of reviewing the records of the Employment Security Commission to subcommittee “to realize we had a major problem.”
At that time the fund was being drained because ofthe economy and how the funds were being shuffled inside the commission. State officers and legislators raised questions of accountability that were not answered. This resulted in the ESC being overhauled and renamed, commissioners fired and an interim director being chosen. Interim director John Finan says he is delighted to have the new law to help get the fund “back on the road toward solvency.” [Read more...]
