Recent editorials from South Carolina newspapers:
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Nov. 21
The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg on highway safety during Thanksgiving:
It is supposed to be among the happiest weeks of the year. Thanksgiving is a time for gathering with family and friends to celebrate the many blessings enjoyed by Americans.
AAA Carolinas predicts that close to 1.5 million South Carolinians will travel 50 miles or more for Thanksgiving this holiday season - the most since 2005.
Falling gas prices are a contributing factor.
Motorists can expect to pay the highest Thanksgiving prices in four years. However, prices have steadily decreased throughout October and November.
The Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as Wednesday, Nov. 21, to Sunday, Nov. 25. Of those traveling, 90 percent will do so by motor vehicle, according to AAA.
“Despite higher gas prices than last year, we expect Carolinians to hit the road in record numbers this Thanksgiving holiday to spend time with their family and friends,” said Dave Parsons, president and CEO of AAA Carolinas.
Unfortunately, the travel and the five-day length make the holiday period among the deadliest on roads.
We’ll hope for zero fatalities this year but warn that statistics are not encouraging.
New S.C. Department of Public Safety figures for the past weekend show five people were killed on the state’s roadways from Friday at 6 p.m. until Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
That brought the total number of highway deaths for 2018 to 887 on S.C. roads, up five from the 882 deaths during the same time period in 2017. The toll is horrific.
The S.C. Department of Public Safety reported that through Nov. 18, 130 pedestrians have died compared to 138 in 2017; 94 motorcyclists have died compared to 108 in 2017; and 19 bicyclists have been killed compared to 17 in 2017.
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There are many ingredients in highway safety but one of the ways to ensure yours and that of your passengers is to use safety belts.
Of the 610 motor vehicle occupants who have died in South Carolina in 2018, 319 were not wearing safety belts. …
Buckle up and be careful! Happy Thanksgiving!
Online: https://thetandd.com/
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Nov. 21
Index-Journal of Greenwood on new moped laws:
Some have voiced a concern that new rules and regs applicable to moped drivers punish those who have no other mode of transportation.
Certainly we understand the concern and can even sympathize, but we also know that the newly implemented rules that went into effect earlier this month were necessary, and that lives will likely be saved as a result.
Far too many readers have encountered mopeds that are being operated dangerously day or night, by virtue of unsafe driving practices, being overloaded with people and shopping bags and the like. Some have been operated by drivers who are under the influence of alcohol or are driving a moped because they lost their license as a result of too many DUI arrests. Until now, those who did lose or simply not have a driver’s license could take to the South Carolina roadways essentially unchecked.
Now, however, mopeds fall into the same category as other vehicles in that they must be registered and their drivers must have valid licenses. An allowance was made in light of the financial straits some moped operators find themselves in. The state’s lawmakers included a moped-only operator’s license as an option for a nominal cost of $10 for two years.
The new rules do not negate some other safety concerns, such as the fact that mopeds are more akin to fast bicycles than they are to motorcycles when it comes to speed. They remain susceptible to being hit by other motorists, especially when operated at night. But we do live in a state in which motorcycle awareness remains a prevalent need among truck and auto operators. An effort to offset wrecks involving mopeds by requiring operators to wear reflective vests failed, Perhaps it will resurface, as it should.
One plus about the new law is that registration will make tracing a moped easier, in the event one is used in a crime. On the amusing side, we’re hard-pressed to imagine the scene in which officers are in hot pursuit of a moped and find themselves unsuccessful. Registration might work to the owner’s advantage as well, making theft of the moped less likely.
Online: http://www.indexjournal.com/
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Nov. 20
The Post and Courier of Charleston on new rules managing groundwater supplies:
After years of allowing unfettered access to underground water, South Carolina has taken an important step in protecting its aquifers by agreeing to keep closer tabs on withdrawals in the farming-dense, seven-county region around Aiken.
The new rules aren’t expected to hurt about 300 big water users in the region, and the permitting process, coupled with a groundwater study due in February, should help the Department of Health and Environmental Control better manage groundwater supplies.
After all, surface and groundwater supplies - layers of water that filter down into a network of aquifers - are interconnected and do not recognize man-made boundaries. And though South Carolina is relatively rich in freshwater, supplies aren’t unlimited. It would be foolhardy to let mega-farms and large industrial users pump away with abandon.
Though opposed by the politically influential S.C. Farm Bureau, the permitting plan was supported by local officials, environmental groups, the public and state Rep. Bill Taylor, R-Aiken.
Yes, farming is still the state’s biggest industry. It supports about 98,000 jobs and has an economic impact estimated at $41.7 billion. But farmers should see the regulations as a means of protecting their way of life. The permits will be free and won’t affect smaller operations.
The still-developing permit system is a first for DHEC’s proposed Western Capacity Use Area, which includes Aiken, Bamberg, Lexington, Burwell, Allendale, Calhoun and Orangeburg counties. Similar regulations are already in place elsewhere, including the coastal region where groundwater use has decreased.
In the tri-county area, groundwater use has declined since peaking around 2002 when DHEC established the Trident Capacity Use Area - good evidence that the agency’s permitting approach is working.
Until now, there have been no limits on groundwater withdrawals in the Aiken-Lexington area, and the new regulations won’t limit withdrawals, just require permits for big users.
Groundwater levels in the Edisto River Basin have been dropping steadily for about 20 years, 5-15 feet in most areas and temporarily up to 40 feet in spots, according to DHEC, which voted Nov. 8 to start requiring permits for withdrawals of 3 million gallons or more per month.
The decision was driven in part by the arrival of large-scale, out-of-state farming operations in recent years. Together, they have withdrawn billions of gallons per year from ground and surface water sources. That lowered water levels in the south fork of the Edisto River and apparently contributed to a few nearby residential wells running low or dry, according to a series in The (Columbia) State newspaper last year.
DHEC must continue to work with the state Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Geological Survey to better understand aquifer flow models and establish safe withdrawal limits.
Water is life - for farmers, industry, wildlife and South Carolina’s growing population. Protecting groundwater and surface sources are essential for our state’s long-term health and prosperity.
Online: https://www.postandcourier.com/
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