State lawmakers want taxpayer-owned Santee Cooper to clean up its act.

Local lawmakers Nathan Ballentine of Chapin and Russell Ott of St. Matthews who represents southern Lexington County, won a unanimous vote on a House resolution last week to require Santee Cooper to use only clean energy by 2050.

A House resolution lacks the force of law but indicates lawmakers’ support for future legislation.

“The clean energy resolution is fine, but representatives must introduce legislation legally mandating a 100% clean energy future for Santee Cooper,” said Tom Clements of Friends of the Earth and Savannah River Site Watch.

“Legislators who want Santee Cooper to be sold should require any entity that might purchase Santee Cooper to embrace the 100%-clean-energy future for the state-owned utility.”

SC Small Business Chamber of Commerce CEO Frank Knapp said, “This is a welcome position for Santee Cooper and its probable successor. This should be the same for Duke and Dominion Energy, enforced by the Public Service Commission.”

Resolution H.4868 calls for a fair and equitable transition to clean energy for Santee Cooper workers and presses for accountability in all energy decisions.

Lawmakers are preparing to debate the utility’s future as soon as they have the Department of Administration’s purchase and management recommendations and a Santee Cooper board reform plan in the next 60 days.

Ballentine and Ott co-chair the Energy Caucus which is made up of Republicans and Democrats who support clean energy.

It was founded by lawmakers after SC Electric & Gas and Santee Cooper executives abandoned a $9 billion nuclear reactor project.

The Public Service Commission let SCE&G charge 725,000 ratepayers $2 billion with the promise of cleaner, cheaper electricity.

Ott said, “Clean energy creates thousands of new jobs and lowers power bills across this state.”

Ballentine and Ott said:

• A leading energy firm’s study shows Santee Cooper can shift to 85% clean energy by 2030 and save ratepayers $360 million.

• A leading solar business predicted creating over 10,000 jobs and invested in a worker development program to fill these jobs.