South-Carolina
Massive energy bill stalls in SC Senate
Bill aimed at securing South Carolina’s energy future haunted by 2017 V. C. Summer nuclear fiasco.
The so-called South Carolina Energy Security Act, one of the most expansive pieces of legislation to be considered by the General Assembly this year, all but collapsed in the S.C. Senate this week.
Aimed at ensuring the state has enough power to meet its future energy needs, the measure sailed through the House of Representatives, but many Senators now say the 45-thousand word bill is too wide-ranging to be considered in the final weeks of the current session.
Senate Majority leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, said the bill should be put on hold.
“It’s important that we deal with the issue, and it’s important we get it right,” Massey said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “And because it’s important that we get it right, my recommendation is that we spend a lot of time in the fall working on this issue.”
As the Republican leader, and chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, Massey can control the Senate agenda. He and a growing number of his colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, say the shadow of the disastrous V.C Summer nuclear project in 2017 looms too large over the current energy bill.
The bill calls for streamlining the regulatory process, allowing utilities to be able to bring new power generation online quicker. It would also restructure the state Public Service Commission.
Eddie Moore, of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy at a Senate Judiciary hearing April 16 outlined the concerns of most of the groups opposed to the bill.
Moore said the bill contains numerous detail changes to the regulatory process that apply to utilities when attempting to build and operate new generating stations.
“Many of it’s (the bill) provisions are crafted to overturn specific legal precedents, or to pre- determine outcomes of (regulatory) cases, he testified.
Moore added the proposed provisions could “tilt” regulatory decisions toward utilities which could result in rate increases for their customers.
A key provision of the bill authorizes state-owned utility Santee Cooper to partner with Dominion Energy to construct a large gas-powered energy plant at Canadys in Colleton County.
The proposed 2,100-megawatt plant would produce around the same amount of electricity that those utilities had hoped to generate with the failed V.C. Summer nuclear project in Fairfield County.
In 2007, the General Assembly enacted the now infamous Base Load Review Act. That law allowed Santee Cooper and then South Carolina Electric and Gas, now Dominion, to charge ratepayers for the project while it was being built. It went under in 2017, but the utilities’ customers continue to pay for it.
The specter of that debacle is causing many lawmakers to urge caution about the proposed gas plant in Canadys.
State Sen Dick Harpootlian, D-Richland told utility CEO’s at a April 17 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that many Senators don’t want another Base Load Review Act.
“I don’t want to undo any supervision,” Harpootlian said. “These bills reduce the number of Public Service Commissioners, and change the (regulatory) process.”
Harpootlian added that if an emergency situation for more power generation exists in the state, it was created by utilities.
With the omnibus bill in trouble, some Senators are looking for a way to possibly scale it down to just authorizing Santee Cooper to pursue the Canadys plant with Dominion.
South Carolina is growing so fast that it has a critical need for additional power generation.
Duke Energy Carolinas President Mike Callahan reminded Senators of that need this week.
He said Duke, which serves thousands of customers in the Upstate and the Pee Dee, plans to double its’ generation capacity in the Carolinas over the next 15 years to meet demand.
He urged Senators to advance the energy bill.
“The current system, we built that over the last 50 years. So the pace at which we need to move to meet this demand is really un-precedented,” Callahan said.
Republican Gov. Henry McMaster said again this week that there is an urgent to need for lawmakers to pass a bill this session.
Should lawmakers fail to pass the bill this year, the bill will have to be refiled in 2025.
All that separated Connor Doyal from the biggest win of his amateur golfing career was 5 feet of perfectly manicured green on Hole No. 18 at Naples National Golf Club. That plus a super-sized case of the yips.
“My hands were shaking uncontrollably,” said the 26-year-old mid-amateur from Charleston, South Carolina. “But I’ve had some moments like this before, and I think I’ve just learned to let it happen and not fight it. I knew it wasn’t going to be the best stroke of my life, but in the moment, I just had to trust myself to make the putt.”
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Just as he had for much of the third and final round of the 30th annual Terra Cotta Invitational, Doyal delivered, dropping in the putt to win the event by one stroke over 17-year-old junior golfer Dawson Lew of Toronto, Canada.
Connor Doyal, a 26-year-old mid-amateur golfer from Charleston, S.C., celebrates with the trophy after winning the 30th annual Terra Cotta Invitational on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
Doyal, who entered the day two shots behind co-leaders Giuseppe Puebla of Royal Palm Beach and University of Florida senior Parker Bell, shot 5-under 67 to finish 12-under, two shots off the low-scoring record for the 54-hole tournament.
“Honestly, I just hit the ball fantastic start to finish,” Doyal said. “I hit a ton of greens and then the putter started heating up. I woke up feeling good this morning, and I knew I had it in me.
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“Coming down the stretch, I had to battle. I’m just glad it’s over. I mean, the heart rate is still extremely high right now.”
Doyal had seven birdies in his final round, the best of which came on the par-4 No. 14. He used his six-iron to blast his second shot 220 yards to within inches of the cup, setting up a short putt that gave him a one-shot lead over Bell.
Doyal followed with a birdie on No. 15 to up his lead to two strokes, but made things interesting by shorting a putt on No. 17 for bogey.
Playing in a group just ahead of Doyel, Lew missed a 35-foot try for birdie on the par-5 No. 18 a smidge left to finish at 11-under after a final round 68.
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Clinging to that one-shot lead on No. 18, an admittedly amped-up Doyal nearly overshot the green on his third shot from about 80 yards out, the ball settling on the back fringe. He followed with a deft chip, setting up his tournament-winning putt.
“It was a little bit nervy there, but I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Doyal said. “I’m always going to be able to look back at that up and down on 18 and be like I have what it takes when the pressure is on.”
Widely regarded as one of the best amateur events for junior golfers in the country, the Terra Cotta’s field included nearly the entirety of the top 25 in the Rolex American Junior Golf rankings. That included Luke Colton of Frisco, Texas, who was gunning for an unprecedented third consecutive Terra Cotta championship. The 18-year-old Vanderbilt commit came up short in his quest, finishing 3-under and in a tie for 21st place.
“I started off pretty bad, just kind of had a weird first day,” said Colton, who opened with a 2-over 74. “Nothing was going my way. But I was pretty happy with the way I ended it.”
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Colton said the Terra Cotta is one of his favorite events of the season.
“You’ve got a great field and obviously an amazing course,” he said. “I think that’s why everybody wants to come and play at this tournament.”
Another top junior was a late and unreported entry to the Terra Cotta. Charlie Woods, son of golfing great Tiger Woods, got off to a rough start with an opening round 79, but shot a 3-under 69 in the final round to finish in a tie for 42nd place with a 3-over 219.
Among the five Naples-area competitors, former Gulf Coast High School standout and current University of Florida golfer Noah Kent had the best showing. The 20-year-old finished with a 2-over 218 for the tournament, placing him in a tie for 34th. The other local entrants were Spencer Ives (220), Brian Bassett (222), Jack Ryan Donovan (224), and Kaden Latrielle (229).
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Contact Sports Reporter Dan DeLuca at ddeluca@usatodayco.com. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Connor Doyal wins Florida amateur event, Charlie Woods ties for 42nd
Columbia, Mo. — The South Carolina softball team (25-21, 4-13) dropped the second game of its series at Missouri (24-23, 7-10) 5-0 Saturday night (Apr. 18).
Kai Byars led the Gamecocks with a pair of doubles on the night. It was her second multi-hit game of the season and her first game with multiple extra base hits.
The Tigers scored a run in the third inning without the aid of a hit. They would extend the lead and add four more in the fourth.
Carolina’s best opportunity for a run came in third. Byars doubled to lead off the inning and Shae Anderson followed with a bunt single. A double play on a potential sacrifice fly ended the rally.
Emma Friedel (8-4) took the loss, allowing one run on no hits in 3 1-3 innings. She struck out six and walked three.
The rubber game of the series will be tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.
Audi Crooks on being in the transfer portal
USAT’s Sam Cardona-Norberg catches up with college basketball star Audi Crooks, who is still looking for her next team.
Sports Seriously
Jordan Lee entered the transfer portal after a breakout season at Texas and the junior guard isn’t going too far. She’s staying in the Southeastern Conference.
Lee announced on Instagram Friday that she’s transferring to South Carolina to play for Dawn Staley after spending the first two years of her collegiate career at Texas under Vic Schaefer. Lee captioned her Instagram post, which featured a video montage of her visit to Columbia, South Carolina, “Feeling cocky.”
Lee was one of four players from Texas to enter the transfer portal after the Longhorns’ second consecutive trip to the Final Four ended in a devastating loss to UCLA. She was named to the All-Region team in the Fort Worth 3 bracket in this year’s NCAA Tournament following her Sweet 16 and Elite Eight performance, where she recorded 22 points, six assists, three rebounds and four steals while also providing strong defense.
After being limited to five starts her freshman year, Lee slid into the starting lineup last season and started a career-high 38 games. She also averaged career highs in points (13.2), assists (2.5), rebounds (2.5), steals (1.5), field-goal percentage (42%) and free-throw percentage (75%), while shooting 34% from 3-point range.
Texas’ Aaliyah Crump, Justice Carlton and Aaliyah Moore also entered the transfer portal. On Friday, Crump announced she’s transferring to Duke, citing her connection with head coach Kara Lawson.
“For me, choosing Duke University goes far beyond one sentence. The moment I connected with Kara Lawson and her coaching staff, I knew I was exactly where I belonged,” said Crump, who averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game her freshman season at Texas.
Crump continued: “Their dedication and vision for the program is truly special, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of it. The connection Coach Lawson and I have built is one of a kind, and I fully trust in her plan for the success of this program. I can’t wait to be coached by genuine people who support my growth not only as a basketball player, but as a person as well.”
Three-time All-American Madison Booker and junior starting forward Breya Cunningham are expected to return to Texas.
Contributing: Mitchell Northam
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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