Friday, June 30, 2023
For nearly five years, we have worked closely with the Southern Environmental Law Center to develop recommendations for updates to the real estate disclosure form in South Carolina that would require much more comprehensive information be provided to people looking to purchase property. Since 2019 the form has accounted for FEMA flood claims, but there was a growing need to provide additional information around potential…
Friday, June 30, 2023
Wetlands like South Carolina’s iconic Carolina Bays are integral for the water we rely on to drink, fish, and recreate in. Wetlands are also essential for flood protection by acting as natural sponges, storing water and allowing for groundwater recharge. Despite all this, the U.S. Supreme Court recently stripped away federal protections for isolated wetlands, and with that decision, gave developers…
Friday, June 30, 2023
We know our estuary ecosystem is crucial to keeping our coastal communities resilient, providing key habitat for marine mammals and birds and maintaining ecotourism. In order to keep this unique habitat from drowning as sea levels rise, salt marsh needs to be able to migrate landward. Recognizing this, we have worked over the last few years as a member of the South Atlantic…
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
This opinion article was originally published in The Island News
By Marie Gibbs
In a recent Island Packet exclusive, the new owner of Pine Island stated his intentions to use golf as a “vehicle to empower economic progress” on St. Helena Island. That all sounds fine and well, but here is the catch: golf courses, resorts, and gated communities have been illegal on St. Helena Island since 1999, and they are still illegal today.
These land uses are…
Friday, June 23, 2023
This week, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control approved a permit application to operate a mine on the border of Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve.
We are extremely concerned about this decision and the impacts it will have on the hydrology of Lewis Ocean Bay, as well as important habitat for Venus flytraps and salamanders that require specific moisture levels to survive.
This heritage preserve has a…
Friday, June 16, 2023
A coalition of Charleston advocacy groups is applauding the announcement Friday by the South Carolina Ports Authority and the City of Charleston that there will be a fresh start on the redevelopment of Union Pier, a significant project that for months has drawn overwhelming community feedback.
At the June 7 Planning Commission meeting focused on the proposed Union Pier project, Barbara Melvin, President and CEO of the Ports Authority, assured the hundreds of concerned citizens…
Monday, June 5, 2023
After nearly three years of development, a comprehensive plan to protect salt marsh along the coast from North Carolina to east-central Florida has finally come to fruition.
The South Atlantic Salt Marsh Initiative’s (SASMI) plan calls for protecting the sinewy channels of coastal grasslands for their value in reducing flooding and erosion, providing wildlife habitat and supporting coastal businesses and economies.
“Salt marshes are iconic landscapes in the coastal Southeast, yet their health and sustainability is…
Monday, June 5, 2023
Petition to shield home buyers from unforeseen costs and damages
CHARLESTON, S.C. — This month, a new disclosure form published by the South Carolina Real Estate Commission goes into effect that will ensure better information about flood history and erosion risk is shared between home sellers and buyers across the state. This improved transparency will help home buyers better prepare for future floods and take precautions such as purchasing flood insurance. Previous requirements…
Monday, May 8, 2023
Decades ago, the St. Helena community made clear that its vision for the island’s future was a place where generations of Gullah/Geechee families could continue to sustain their rich farming, hunting, and fishing culture. This vision does not include golf courses, gated communities, and resort developments, which threaten to interrupt the cultural way of life for this community.
Today, a third and final reading by Beaufort County Council of clarifying revisions to…
