Santee Cooper, Audubon Reach Agreement on Transmission Line Through Beidler Forest

Santee Cooper and the National Audubon Society have reached an agreement on how to move forward with part of a proposed transmission project that crosses the Francis Beidler Forest in South Carolina. The agreement, filed Aug. 29 with the Public Service Commission of South Carolina, covers a 1.5-mile portion of the planned 21.5-mile Wassamassaw–Indian Field 230-kV transmission line.

The resolution allows Santee Cooper to use an existing right of way through the forest. The utility plans to replace 50-year-old poles that currently support a 115-kV line with a new row of structures installed in the center of the right of way, farther from the old-growth forest. The new structures will carry both the existing 115-kV line and a new 230-kV line to address increasing energy needs.

Under the agreement, Santee Cooper will:

• Protect healthy trees in the old-growth forest, while giving Audubon the ability to contest tree removals or pruning outside the right of way;

• Follow Department of Natural Resources best practices to safeguard threatened species;

• Establish a new pollinator garden within the right of way to provide habitat and reduce herbicide use;

• Restore four acres of hardwood in Beidler Forest’s Pine Bluff parcel, with Santee Cooper providing seedlings; and

• Allow Audubon to plant and maintain low-growing native vegetation in the re-cleared area.

Jimmy Staton, president and CEO of Santee Cooper, said the utility has maintained a transmission corridor through Beidler Forest since the 1940s and has worked with Audubon since the 1970s. “Beidler Forest is a beautiful cypress-tupelo swamp forest, with spectacular old-growth trees and native plants that support numerous bird and other wildlife species. Santee Cooper’s plans will not change that,” he said.

Rebecca Haynes, vice president of the National Audubon Society and executive director of Audubon South Carolina, called the forest a nationally and internationally recognized resource. “Audubon, in partnership with the Southern Environmental Law Center, is glad to have reached an agreement that protects the Forest from direct impacts, while allowing Santee Cooper to support the growth of the Lowcountry,” she said.