Renewable energy production policies need local, state and federal cooperation

OPINION:

Clean energy is an important part of our nation’s all-the-above energy strategy and renewable sources of energy, such as wind, solar, and hydro, are a part of our country’s energy future. Thankfully, South Carolina is on the forefront of renewable energy production as it powers more homes and businesses than ever before while providing good-paying jobs to people across the state.

That is why I am asking the people of Aiken to join me in celebrating National Clean Energy Week and the incredible advancements made by South Carolina’s clean energy sector. These investments extend to every corner of our state employing more than 56,000 South Carolinians which enables us to be a regional and national leader in clean energy. In fact, the number of clean energy jobs has grown 16% between 2021 and 2022. Today, solar power, hydropower, and biomass are South Carolina’s primary source of renewable energy, accounting for 7% of the state’s total net generation.

As a state, we have taken significant steps to achieve net-zero emissions through reducing energy consumption, increasing the number of zero-emissions vehicles on our roads, and utilizing our state’s abundant natural resources to establish more offshore wind development. But we can’t do it alone.

While we work to address these challenges on the state level, our federal delegation is working in tandem to support commonsense, bipartisan policies that provide the resources needed to embrace clean energy such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which as of March, provided over $3.2 billion in funding for 169 projects across South Carolina. Clean energy investments through the law include over $58.5 million in funding for communities to purchase clean school buses to reduce pollution around our schools as well as over $25.3 million to grow the state’s EV charging network.

We are putting these historic investments to work by upgrading the entire power infrastructure to make the grid more resilient and capable of supporting clean energy while also further developing clean energy technologies like advanced nuclear, clean hydrogen, carbon capture, and battery storage.

I hope you’ll join me on this National Clean Energy Week in celebrating the clean energy economy as well as all who have committed to reducing their carbon footprint through smart, sustainable, and environmentally friendly practices. Together, we are dedicated to embracing commonsense policy solutions on the local, state, and federal levels that will leave future generations a healthier world.

• Rick Osbon was first elected mayor of Aiken, SC, in 2015. He is a third-generation family business owner running Osbon’s Dry Cleaners, which his father and grandfather started together in 1948.