Senators grill DHEC board chairman
COLUMBIA — A panel of South Carolina senators on Tuesday grilled the chairman of the state's environmental panel for two hours over the circumstances that led to a controversial decision to give Georgia the OK to dredge the Savannah River for its port.
Allen Amsler, the chairman of the Department of Health and Environmental Control, testified under oath that Gov. Nikki Haley had no influence over the board's decision to grant the water permit, outside of her request that the board hear an appeal.
Amsler also said if he knew then what he knows now he would not change his Nov. 10 decision. The board voted unanimously on that day to grant the decision.
The senators specifically challenged Amsler on several fronts. They include concern that the board approved the permit based on an 11th-hour decision and oral agreement without a written document to protect the state's interest; that the board relied on DHEC staff, rather than question its recommendations; and that granting the permit removes any incentive that Georgia has to cooperate with South Carolina on the development of the Jasper port. They also challenged Amsler on how seriously the board considered alternatives, such as protecting part of the river as a national historic site for its role in the Civil War.
Amsler maintained that Georgia met all of the state's requirements to receive the permit. He also said, in response to a series of questions, that the decision did not factor in the state's economic issues or the development of the Charleston and Jasper ports. DHEC is an environmental panel, Amsler said.
He repeatedly referred detailed scientific questions to DHEC staff, raising the ire of some senators.
Sen. Joel Lourie, D-Columbia, told Amsler that the decision to grant the permit is likely the most significant decision that DHEC will make in the coming decades.
The exchange at one point between Lourie and Amsler became heated. Lourie said the forum was designed for the senators to ask questions, to which Amsler said he was at the hearing on his time and as a volunteer.
“Forgive me for being a little demanding of the board and you as the chairman,” Lourie said.
Haley was requested to attend the hearing, but she declined due to concerns about the state's separation of powers protections. Haley has been accused of interfering in the DHEC decision, especially over an Oct. 28 fundraiser she held in Atlanta and raised $15,000.
The governor has vehemently defended herself against those claims and reaffirmed her commitment to the economic viability of South Carolina's ports. She said her campaign contributions were not from people with interests in the Savannah port.
Each of DHEC's six board members sworn under oath that neither Haley nor her
staff interfered or influenced their decision.
The hearing, which started at 10 a.m., is continuing.
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