Briefs
by John Temple Ligon
Coal unpopular The S.C. Coastal Conservation League is spending $100,000 to research the need for Santee Cooper's coal- fired power plant in southern Florence County. Also, pollution potential should be quantified as part of the research. Meanwhile, Duke Energy heard from two dozen sign- bearing protesters outside its annual shareholders' meeting about its proposed expansion of the Cliffside coal- fired power plant about 50 miles west of Charlotte. Nationwide, more than 50 coal- fired power plants have been canceled or seriously delayed due to public protests over predicted pollution. Both Santee Cooper and Duke Energy buy coal from Appalachian mines, where there are public objections to continuing mountaintop removal to bring out the coal.

And so unpopular it comes to this On Tuesday, May 6 the Southern Environmental Law Center said it plans to sue Duke Energy if it doesn't halt construction of the new coal- fired plant at Cliffside. The Law Center will sue on behalf of the Natural Resources Defense Council, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, National Parks Conservation Association, and the Sierra Club. The possibility exists Santee Cooper could hear similar stands.

United pilots object United Airlines and US Airways Group Inc. are negotiating a merger, but the United pilots argue a merger with US Airways should be a last resort for the Chicago- based carrier. The largest hub for US Airways is in Charlotte. Both airlines serve Columbia. According to Steve Wallach, chairman of the United Master Executive Council of the Air Line Pilots Association, the highly touted benefits to be derived from the merger are "unlikely to be achieved because these benefits are based on assumptions that have no basis in reality." US Airways and United attempted a merger in 2000, but the U.S. Department of Justice blocked the effort over antitrust concerns.

S.C.World Trade Center threatened The State of S.C. has given the trade center $297,688 annually since 2005. The trade center began 2007 $21,000 in the red, and there may not be any funding from the Legislature this year. State funding can be expected the following year as state revenues improve. The World Trade Center identifies import and export possibilities for state businesses, and the center educates high school students on the connections among world trade, the economy, and career opportunities.

Charlotte's mayor gives hope to S.C.'s mayors Mayor Joe Riley of Charleston failed in his bid for the Democrat nomination for governor, and Mayor Coble of Columbia was turned down by the Democrats when he wanted to run for the U.S. Senate. Pat McCrory, Charlotte's longest- serving mayor, won N.C.'s Republican primary for governor Tuesday, May 6. This is McCrory's first bid for statewide office. Following Charlotte Mayor McCrory's success, expect to hear more statewide ambitions from Charleston's Riley and Columbia's Coble.

Middle Court/No Parole bill moves forward S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster announced Tuesday, May 6, his Middle Court/No Parole bill was passed by the House Judiciary Committee. The bill would abolish parole for all crimes and establish a statewide Middle Court to divert non- violent offenders from prison. The bill will be debated by the House of Representatives, and a companion bill is under consideration by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Should USC promote from within... ...Dr. Harris Pastides, USC's vice president for Research and Health Sciences, could be the front runner in the selection process for USC's next president, particularly since he withdrew from consideration to become chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. President Andrew Sorensen is scheduled to retire July 31, but he has suggested he could stay on the job if the search committee has not selected a new president by that time.

Future lies in walkable communities Parris Glendening, former governor of Maryland and president of the Washington-based Smart Growth Leadership Institute, recently spoke in Spartanburg on city planning to the Partners for Active Living, the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, and Upstate Forever. Glendening espoused increased housing density and walkable communities. He said, "Traditional walkable communities are selling out faster than they can be built."