South Carolina Senate Republican Caucus

Legislator to convene study committee to analyze effects on S.C.

The federal moratorium on new offshore drilling sits just days short of expiring as state legislators discussed plans Thursday to position South Carolina to tap its resources.

Sen. Paul Campbell, R-Goose Creek, said he is preparing to call a meeting of a state study committee to come up with answers to some basic questions: How extensive are oil and natural gas reserves along the state’s 187 miles of coastline, and is it worth it to drill?

“With the cost of energy where it is today, we need to make a determination from a South Carolina perspective about what’s available to us and what the inherent dangers are,” said Campbell, who is co-chairing the 20-member study committee alongside Rep. Michael Thompson, R-Anderson.

Campbell is a retired Alcoa executive and a chemical engineer.

The committee, which was established by legislation passed in 2007, is expected to meet next month and has a goal of preparing a report for the Legislature by the end of November.

First, the members must be briefed on what congressional directive is in place after the ban expires Tuesday and ask experts how much oil and gas exists off the coast, Campbell said. Next, they need to know what implications drilling could have on the state’s environment and on the its tourism industry, he said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, is calling for another simultaneous approach. He is petitioning the U.S. Department of the Interior to include South Carolina in its upcoming five-year offshore drilling plan. He wants others to join him.

The agency, which controls leases in federal-controlled waters, is in the preliminary stages of preparing its next plan, which would run from 2010 to 2015.

“The national moratorium is set to expire next week,” Massey said. “With that deadline looming, it is a good time for us to get involved in the process.”

Ben Moore, energy and climate program director for the Coastal Conservation League, cautioned the state’s officials to conduct a rigorous cost-benefit analysis before they endorse a plan for offshore drilling, should it become an option.

By Yvonne Wenger
The Post and Courier
September 26, 2008

Few of lawmakers’ votes are recorded

A lack of recorded votes by the House and Senate is the most critical issue facing democracy in the state, Ashley Landess, president of the South Carolina Policy Council, said Wednesday.

She was joined by Gov. Mark Sanford and Reps. Nikki Haley, R-Lexington, and Nathan Ballentine, R-Irmo, after the group spent the day traveling the state to call attention to the matter.

“We need the public to understand that this is a fight,” Landess said. Her conservative think tank put out a study in August that found the House took roll-call votes on 8 percent of the bills that became law this year, while the Senate did so only 1 percent of the time. Read the rest of this entry »

Officials on Monday unveiled a minimum of nine road projects that would benefit if Berkeley voters approve a seven-year, 1-cent sales tax increase in November.

The Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce’s proposal includes large, multimillion-dollar projects in high-growth areas and paving projects in the hinterlands.

Officials hope including projects in all parts of the county will persuade residents to vote for the tax, which would raise between $15 million and $17 million a year for seven years. Read the rest of this entry »

As part of a multifaceted approach to illegal immigration, the state Senate on Wednesday issued a call for a national constitutional convention in a strategy aimed at forcing Congress to act.

Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell first introduced the concept in October after Washington negotiators failed to agree on a new immigration policy. The goal is not to see a convention convene, McConnell said. Rather, it’s to pressure Congress.

“Our hope is that this will be a call that will start to gain steam across America and it will put some heat under Congress and they will do what they’ve been sent there to do,” said McConnell, R-Charleston.

Read the rest of this entry »

State Senator Paul Campbell discusses Governor Sanford’s State of The State address.

COLUMBIA — As the second session of the 117th General Assembly convened, the Senate welcomed two new members, Sen. Paul Campbell, R-Berkeley, representing District 44, and Sen. Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, representing District 25.

“I look forward to working with Senators Campbell and Massey as we continue to face the important issues before the South Carolina General Assembly,” said Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler, R-Cherokee. “Both of these men were in tough races, and they are a welcomed addition to what we, as a party, are trying to accomplish here in Columbia.”

Campbell and Massey come to the Senate as a result of special elections during the interim of the 2007-08 session.

Campbell was elected Aug. 7 to fill the seat formerly held by Republican Sen. Bill Mescher, who died in April.

The Nov. 6 special election, which resulted in Massey being elected, was because of the resignation of Democratic Sen. Tommy Moore.

“I am very exited to get started working for the people of District 25 and the State of South Carolina,” Massey said. “I hope to be a voice of change and work to create a better government so the citizens of South Carolina can move the state forward.”

Campbell will be serving on Agriculture and Natural Resources; Corrections and Penology; Fish, Game and Forestry; General; and Judiciary committees. Massey will be serving on Corrections and Penology; Fish, Game and Forestry; General; Judiciary; and Rules committees.

The Index-Journal

1/10/06
 

Four new members of the South Carolina House and Senate were sworn in Tuesday, the opening day of the 2008 legislative session.
Legislators welcomed Reps. Shannon Erickson and Heyward Hutson, and Sens. Paul Campbell and Shane Massey, all Republicans. One seat in the House remains vacant following the November resignation of Rep. Shirley Hinson, R-Goose Creek.
Read the rest of this entry »

The following article ran in the Goose Creek Gazette following Paul Campbell’s victory:

Campbell victorious in special election   

Political newcomer Paul Campbell (R) held off democratic challenger and former Moncks Corner Mayor John West in a special election for Senate District 44 Aug. 7. In unofficial results Campbell garnered 3,891 votes to 2,763 votes for West.

Read the rest of this entry »

South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson released the following statement on Paul Campbell’s victory:

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson released the following statement on Paul Campbell’s victory in the race for State Senate in District 44:

“I would like to congratulate Sen.-elect Paul Campbell and his campaign team on an impressive double digit landslide victory tonight,” said South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson. “Paul ran on the unabashedly conservative platform that is the hallmark of our party’s success in South Carolina. His landslide double digit victory sends a clear message that voters support traditional values, limited government, lower taxes and a willingness to stand up to the special interests that for too long have had their way in Columbia.”

Here is this morning’s story from the Post and Courier about Paul Campbell’s outstanding victory last night.

The Post and Courier reports the final numbers as:

Paul Campbell: 3,891
John West: 2,673
Write-ins: 1
Blank ballots: 20

Republican easily tops West in voting to replace Mescher
BY ANDY PARAS
Wednesday, August 8, 2007

MONCKS CORNER — Republican Paul Campbell beat Democrat John West by a 58 to 41 percent margin Tuesday to become the next District 44 state senator, unofficial results show.

The retired Alcoa executive will fill the seat vacated by the April death of Sen. Bill Mescher. The unexpired term runs out next year.

Read the rest of this entry »