Briefs
by John Temple Ligon
Attorneys generals object In a letter dated January 22, eight attorneys general asked S.C. to drop Santee Cooper's plan for a new coal- fired electric power plant in southern Florence County. The AGs argued the new $1 billion plant would annually pump nine million tons of carbon dioxide into the air and undermine their campaigns to reduce greenhouse gases.

Meanwhile, up at Duke Duke Energy Carolinas completed the engineering, purchasing, and construction contracts and other commitments for its Cliffside coal- fired plant. The plant's complex is on the Cleveland- Rutherford county line in North Carolina. Upon operating by 2012, the 800- megawatt plant should cost $1.8 billion to complete.

Roads and bridges House Speaker Bobby Harrell and the House Republican Caucus introduced legislation to increase funding for S.C.'s roads and bridges by over $100 million in recurring dollars. The bill (H.4549) uses the money generated by the sales tax on cars.

Immigration The S.C. House of Representatives approved legislation to combat illegal immigration. The South Carolina Plan denies state- funded benefits to illegal aliens, prohibits them from attending public colleges or receiving scholarships. The bill requires employers with government contracts to verify employees' legal status. S.C. has an estimated 75,000 illegal aliens living in the state at an annual cost to the state's taxpayers of $186 million.

Liming lashes out Bob Liming, chairman of the Save Our Buses Task Force, released a response to an article in The State itemizing the major challenges facing Columbia. The "transit tragedy besieging our city," as Liming put it, was not included among the challenges.

Beach announces 4,000- acre development The Beach Co. plans a new community near Lake Marion, just outside Summerton. The 4,000- acre development, Cantey Bay Plantation, will include two miles of frontage on both sides of I- 95 and two miles along the Lake Marion shoreline. A groundbreaking date has not been announced.

Home builders leave Atlanta- based Beazer Homes USA will exit the Charlotte and Columbia markets. Also, Beazer is backing out of Lexington, Ky., and in Ohio it is leaving Cincinnati, Columbus, and Dayton. Beazer is under federal investigation.

Urban Land Institute meets at the Marriott ULI South Carolina is sponsoring a Midlands lunch at the Marriott February 20. The speaker will be Neal Peirce, a leading journalist of metropolitan regions, their political and economic dynamics, and their emerging national and global roles. Peirce is the chairman of The Citistates Group, a network of speakers, journalists, and civic leaders focused on building competitive, equitable, and sustainable 21st Century metropolitan regions.

New Carolina's new cluster New Carolina, aka the S.C. Council on Competitiveness, announced the Lowcountry Advanced Security Technology Research Alliance as part of the recent Charleston Defense Contractors Association's Small Business and Industry Outreach Symposium. The cluster serves as a gathering point for business leaders to discuss security and defense industry issues. There are about two dozen security businesses and defense contractors in the Lowcountry cluster.

New homes National new single- family home sales fell 4.7 percent in December compared to the same month a year ago, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The inventory of new homes for sale nationwide was down 2.3 percent in December.

Delays in Charlotte, Columbia A 32- story office and condo development in uptown Charlotte has been put on hold by its developers, Spectrum Properties. Also in uptown, One Charlotte, a 40- story condo tower under development by Portman Holdings, Portman's condo tower is designed to feature 99 residences priced between $1.5 million and $10 million. In Columbia, Jerry Kline's property at the corner of Huger and Gervais will remain undeveloped for the time being. Kline reportedly cited the slow housing market as one of the reasons to put his mixed- use development on hold.

Prime rate The big national banks such as Charlotte- based Bank of America and Wachovia have lowered their prime- lending rates to 6 percent from 6.5 percent.