Published: Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009 / Updated: Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009 01:40 AM

Breaching climate divide

Last Sunday, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democrat Sen. John Kerry breached the party divide and coauthored a nationally published editorial on climate change. The senators agreed on steps that must be taken to address this unprecedented crisis now facing our state, our country and our planet. After correcting misconceptions about the pending climate legislation, Graham and Kerry resolved that the United States can and must lead in the transition to a low carbon economy and pointed to the many collateral benefits of this shift, including enhanced national security, economic revitalization, job creation, and a decrease in pollution.

The senators' refreshing perspective is a welcome relief from years of inflated, unsubstantiated cost allegations associated with climate legislation. It is time to move past the rhetoric and examine specifically, point by point, what a climate program may mean for South Carolina's economy.

South Carolina will benefit in many ways from a shift toward renewable energy. Today, General Electric in Greenville employs more than 3,000 people in the manufacturing and engineering of wind turbines, and the growth in this sector is among the highest in the nation. Other S.C. companies involved with wind technology include Timken, Bosch, and a variety of smaller businesses that provide support to these larger corporations.

The port of Charleston could gain substantially from an expanding wind industry in South Carolina. Because the large-scale components of modern wind machines are difficult to transport over land, co-location of manufacturers with a port is almost essential. Building an industrial “cluster” around wind would be a logical strategy that climate legislation would only make more attractive.

South Carolina's underused and underperforming agricultural land could easily produce a variety of bio-fuel crops, as evidenced by Clemson's research on switch grass. Further, natural gas-fired power plants emit roughly half as much carbon per unit of energy as coal plants. So, even shifts from one carbon-based fuel to another will work to the benefit of South Carolina industry.

The wood waste from timber harvesting is also a potential source of renewable fuel. South Carolina has some of the best timberlands in the nation, but the decline in pulp prices has put pressure on landowners to examine other revenue sources. Also, more than half of the acreage in the state is devoted to forestry, and climate change legislation offers yet another important revenue prospect for forest landowners — the sale of “carbon credits.”

Because growing forests sequester carbon, forest conservation is a critical part of the climate stabilization agenda. Already, landowners can sell carbon credits on the climate exchange in Chicago. Federal climate legislation will expand that market dramatically, offering a robust new revenue source for the tens of thousands of South Carolinian's who own forestland.

Yet another beneficiary of federal climate legislation will be the nuclear industry. Again, South Carolina stands to benefit more than other states. Today, 60 percent of the electricity produced in the state is nuclear. This places South Carolina third in the nation in nuclear power production. SCANA and Santee Cooper are presently collaborating on two new nuclear reactors at the Summer plant in Jenkinsville, which will likely be the first new commercial units to come on line in over a decade.

Nuclear power has a variety of challenges to overcome, especially waste disposal and safety, but the passage of federal climate legislation will create a powerful incentive to resolve these issues as quickly as possible. As that happens, South Carolina is well-positioned to take advantage of an expanded market and expanded support for nuclear energy.

Finally, South Carolina has the distinction of being one of the least energy efficient states in the country. While our electric rates are among the lowest nationwide, our bills are among the highest. This means that there are enormous gains to be realized through investing in energy efficiency — improving insulation, replacing heating and air conditioner systems, fixing leaky windows, and many other simple, cost effective measures.

Climate legislation can jump-start efficiency in the state, create tens of thousands of jobs that cannot be outsourced, save money for families and businesses by reducing power bills, and reduce the need for utilities to invest in costly new power generation facilities of any sort.

Regardless of whether we agree on the relative importance of greenhouse gas reduction, South Carolina is in position to reap substantial benefits from federal climate legislation. It is encouraging that our senior senator understands this important point.

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