South-Carolina
Toxin was released into the Congaree River in South Carolina: Agencies did little to stop it, greens say
High amounts of a toxic chemical are being discharged into the Congaree and Cooper rivers from plastics factories in South Carolina, but state and federal regulators are doing little to control the pollution, a new report says.
A study by the Environmental Integrity Project, a national public interest organization, found that of eight similar plastics plants it studied, factories near Columbia and Charleston had some of the highest releases of 1,4- dioxane, a chemical tied to an array of health ailments, including cancer.
An Alpek Polyester plant in the Gaston area near Columbia released 23,728 pounds of 1,4-dioxane to the Congaree River in 2022, ranking it second in total releases behind only a plant in West Virginia that discharged 29,960 pounds. Alpek’s plant at Moncks Corner near Charleston released 9,756 pounds to the Cooper River, the report said.
But according to the report, there are no federal limits on how much 1,4-dioxane can be released from plastics plants. West Virginia only recently added state discharge limits for the plant in that state, the study said.
“This toxic pollution from plastic production is unacceptable,” Congaree Riverkeeper Bill Stangler said in a statement released by the Environmental Integrity Project. “Our federal and state agencies need to step up and protect our river and the downstream communities.”
Efforts to reach someone who could speak for Alpek were unsuccessful. The company, formerly known as DAK Americas, is part a corporation that employs nearly 4,000 people worldwide. At one time, the plant in the Gaston area had about 400 workers.
The S.C. Department of Environmental Services did not respond to questions on Thursday from The State, saying it could not discuss the 1,4-dioxane issue until a later date.
Stangler said the releases in the Columbia area are near Congaree National Park, a preserve filled with wildlife and the state’s only national park. The Alpek discharges to the Congaree River are below drinking water intakes in Columbia, West Columbia and Cayce, but Stangler said they are upstream from several drinking water pipes in the Santee Cooper lakes area southeast of Columbia.
The Environmental Integrity Project report, released Thursday, took a broader look at various discharges in wastewater released from 70 petrochemical and plastic plants that produce plastics across the country. The group focused on plastics because the industry is growing across the country. The plants were those that produced plastic materials for other plastic products.
Most of the plants studied in the United States have few, if any, government limits on the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, 1,4-dioxane, dioxins and other harmful pollutants discharged to rivers, the report said. The group’s study included data from the federal Toxics Release Inventory, an annual report that lists what the U.S. government considers legal pollution discharges.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says exposure to high levels of 1,4 dioxane can result in liver and kidney damage. Although the EPA was criticized for not doing enough to control discharges to rivers from plastics plants, the agency has said 1,4 dioxane is a probable human carcinogen.
In addition to concerns about 1,4-dioxane in South Carolina, the report questioned the environmental impacts of “nurdles,” tiny pellets used to manufacture other plastic materials. It said discharges of these materials into waterways are common. In 2021, a pellet packaging and shipping company settled a lawsuit for $1.2 million over nurdle releases to Charleston Harbor.
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Environmental Integrity Project officials and others said the EPA needs to establish rules overseeing plastics pollution to rein in the environmental threat to rivers and drinking water across the country. They specifically called for requiring modern wastewater pollution controls at plastics plants, tightening rules for the release of plastic pellets and requiring better monitoring for 1,4-dioxane in water. The report also called on the EPA and state agencies to step up enforcement.
Whether any of that will happen is a big question.
The report took President Joe Biden’s administration to task for not doing enough about plastics discharges, but Biden has generally had a favorable environmental record. President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to cut environmental regulations he says are hampering businesses.
During a news conference Thursday, Environmental Integrity Project director Jen Duggan said the government is mandated to enforce the Clean Water Act. Her organization maintains the federal government has not updated standards to limit water pollution from the plastics industry, as is required by law. She said courts generally have been unsympathetic to agencies that don’t follow the law.
“What’s important here is no matter what Trump’s plans are, Trump can not unilaterally waive away these kinds of mandatory, statutory requirements,” Duggan said. “This is a must-do under the statute and courts have generally had little patience for agencies that don’t comply with these kinds of mandatory obligations. The Clean Water Act has a very clear mandate to update these water pollution standards to keep pace with technology.”
She and others at the news conference suggested that more citizens’ lawsuits could be filed against the EPA. A citizens’ suit is a legal action that a person or organization can take if the government is not enforcing environmental laws.
“During the first Trump administration, we did see a pretty significant dip in the amount of enforcement cases that the EPA brought,” Duggan said. “So we do think that it will be very important for (environmental) groups … to fill that gap and hold these polluters accountable.”
The group’s findings about 1,4-dioxane being released in South Carolina aren’t isolated to plants along the Congaree and Cooper rivers.
Separately, a non-profit legal service has sued Fiber Industries LLC, a polyester manufacturer, over discharges of 1,4 dioxane to Black Creek, a well-known river in Darlington County east of Columbia.
The Southern Environmental Law Center, which represents four environmental organizations, is trying to stop what it says are excessive discharges to the creek. Reports examined by law center attorneys show the plant has discharged 1,4-dioxane into Black Creek at amounts 25,000 times higher than a safe drinking water standard, records show.
The Environmental Integrity Project report’s look at the Alpek factories in South Carolina said plastic plants, particularly those making a type of material known as PET, produce ample amounts of 1,4-dioxane. The PET material, formally known as polyethylene terephthalate plastic, is used to manufacture bottles and polyester fibers, the study said.
Overall, of the eight similar plastics facilities the report looked at, four of them produced 98% of the 1,4-dioxane pollution, including the plants in the Columbia and Charleston areas. Another plant in South Carolina, located in Spartanburg, was eighth on the list.
2024 The State. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Toxin was released into the Congaree River in South Carolina: Agencies did little to stop it, greens say (2024, November 15)
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South-Carolina
Nancy Mace’s foul-mouthed airport tirades roil race for South Carolina governorship as rival slams ‘spoiled brat’
New disclosures of a foul-mouthed tirade by Rep. Nancy Mace in the Charleston airport have roiled the South Carolina governor’s race and ignited angry accusations between the lawmaker and one of her competitors in the Republican primary.
Her rival, state AG Alan Wilson, called Mace a “spoiled brat” who treats cops like “servants,” at a time when the two of them are furiously competing for support from voters – and President Trump.
Mace back in August called herself “Trump in high heels” and acknowledged “I would really like his support for governor.” So far, Trump hasn’t given it – to anybody.
Mace this week slammed an internal Charleston Airport Authority investigation that probed her profanity-laced “spectacle” Oct. 30, when Mace chewed out police officers and TSA agents over expedited security for her outbound flight, after a planned VIP escort fell through.
New details are still coming to light – including an earlier incident in April where Mace allegedly blew up at agents who wouldn’t let her bring a family member through expedited security, according to the investigation report.
“This is the only airport that gives me s–t,” she complained, according to one of the numerous law enforcement officers interviewed as part of the probe.
The investigative report was obtained by The Post through a public documents request.
One interviewed TSA agent quotes Mace as telling a cop following the botched Oct. 30 escort for her arrival at an airport gate, “I’m sick of your s–t, I’m tired of having to wait.”
Another officer, an explosives tech, described Mace as being “very nasty, very rude.” She said she could hear Mace calling police officers “f–king idiots” and “f–king incompetent” and stating that she was a “f–king representative.”
Yet the airport was “not busy at all” at the time of the incident, the officer said.
A TSA agent said during the interaction Mace “literally was on that phone talking and texting her life away” as well as “saying rude things,” according to the investigative report.
One TSA officer who had been at the airport 23 years told investigators “every VIP or whomever, dignitary, that we’ve been across and had to deal with, we never, never had this problem.”
Mace hired an attorney and threatened weeks ago to sue the airport over the October incident, but has yet to do so.
The report revealed the April confrontation when agents wouldn’t let Mace bring a family member through expedited security. TSA later let her take family members with her when she got screened.
“I thought that the way she acted showed a sense of entitlement – [that] she is entitled to special protection, she is entitled to special treatment. When she doesn’t get special treatment, she throws a tantrum. To me that harkens back to a child not getting their way,” Wilson told The Post in an interview.
“These are public servants, not personal servants,” he said of law enforcement at the airport.
Mace told CNN in an interview this week the report had been “falsified,” without providing evidence. In response to Wilson’s “brat” comment, she wrote: “Imagine being ‘Attorney General’ and flying 500 miles for the sole purpose of dismissing death threats against a single mom.”
She told The Post she has received numerous credible death threats, and said on Friday a judge denied bond to a man accused of making online threats against her. She said during the April incident TSA had violated its own policy allowing federal officials to bring a guest and separated her from her child.
Mace has been taking her case to the airwaves in a week where she trashed the House Republican leadership in a Washington Post op-ed.
A consultant to Mace’s campaign, Austin McCubbin, resigned Dec. 1, accusing her of turning her back on MAGA and trying to “hug the political cactus that is the [Sen.] Rand Paul [and Rep.] Thomas Massie wing of the Party.”
South-Carolina
A Stronger Rail Network Is a Win for South Carolina’s Economy – FITSNews
“The combined rail system would offer the reliability our business community has been asking for…”
by NATHAN BALLENTINE
***
For as long as I’ve served in the South Carolina House, I’ve believed that strong infrastructure is the backbone of a strong economy. Whether talking about roads, bridges, broadband, or freight mobility, our ability to efficiently move people and goods determines how competitive our state will be in the decades ahead. South Carolina continues to grow at one of the fastest rates in the country, and with that growth comes a responsibility to ensure our logistics network can meet the demands of modern commerce.
That is why the proposed merger between Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS) deserves thoughtful consideration, not just at the national level, but here at home. South Carolina’s economic success is directly tied to reliable freight transportation. From advanced manufacturing in the Upstate, to the distribution and warehousing centers in the Midlands, to the countless businesses that depend on steady supply chains, every region of our state relies on a freight system that works smoothly and predictably.
When freight rail is fragmented across multiple networks, bottlenecks and delays become far more common. Businesses, especially those operating with tight production schedules and narrow delivery windows, feel the impacts immediately. A delayed railcar can throw off inventory planning, disrupt operations, and create ripple effects that stretch across an entire supply chain. These unpredictable slowdowns can be enormously costly for the companies that keep South Carolina’s economy moving.
***
The Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger aims to address many of these longstanding challenges. By creating a unified network connecting more than 50,000 miles of track and linking 43 states with over 100 ports nationwide, the combined rail system would offer something our business community has been asking for: reliability. Studies indicate the merger could generate approximately $1 billion in annual cost savings and improve freight-car velocity by around 10 percent. These aren’t abstract figures, they reflect tangible improvements that would strengthen operations for employers, distributors, retailers, and consumers alike.
***
“Economic development teams would also have an even stronger pitch when attracting new employers to South Carolina…”
***
A more dependable rail network means companies can plan with greater precision, suppliers can manage logistics with fewer surprises, and transportation partners can commit to schedules with increased confidence. Economic development teams would also have an even stronger pitch when attracting new employers to South Carolina: not just a skilled workforce and business-friendly climate, but a transportation network capable of supporting long-term growth.
Improved rail performance also benefits South Carolina’s infrastructure more broadly. Rail is one of the most efficient ways to move goods long distances. Every shipment that travels by rail instead of truck reduces congestion on our highways, lowers fuel costs, and decreases wear and tear on roads that taxpayers ultimately fund. Better rail capacity complements, rather than replaces, our ongoing efforts to invest in roads and bridges across the state. It allows us to stretch transportation dollars further and focus on the improvements most needed in fast-growing communities.
Another important factor is competitiveness. States across the Southeast are aggressively investing in logistics infrastructure to position themselves as national leaders in manufacturing and distribution. If South Carolina wants to stay ahead, and continue attracting companies that create stable, high-quality jobs, we must support improvements that strengthen the reliability and efficiency of our freight network. The Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger presents an opportunity to do just that.
***
RELATED | SOURCES: S.C. LAWMAKERS THREATEN SUPREME COURT
***
As someone who has spent nearly two decades advocating for responsible, forward-looking growth in our state, I believe that modernizing our freight system is not just a transportation issue, it is an economic necessity. Ensuring that goods can move quickly, safely, and predictably is fundamental to the success of our businesses and the financial well-being of South Carolina families.
Federal regulators will ultimately determine the path forward, and their review should be thorough and transparent. But from where I sit, the potential benefits to our state are clear. A more integrated, efficient rail system will help South Carolina businesses compete, help consumers by keeping costs lower, and help our state maintain the strong economic momentum we’ve built over the past decade.
A stronger rail network means a stronger South Carolina, and that is a future we should fully support.
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Nathan Ballentine represents the citizens of House District 71 in the S.C. General Assembly.
***
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South-Carolina
LIVE: SC AG Alan Wilson, state, national leaders hold press conference on statewide drug busts
Statehouse Reporter Mary Green will have more on this tonight.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – South Carolina Attorney General and other officials will be holding a press conference Friday at 9:30 a.m. to talk about statewide drug busts.
Wilson is set to be joined by South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel, representatives from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security, as well as several local sheriffs and other law enforcement partners.
Watch the full press conference in the video above.
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