The South Carolina Emergency Management Division has received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The agency will use the funding for the salaries of emergency managers in Aiken, Allendale and Barnwell counties, as well as a few other positions on the county and state level, said state Emergency Management spokesman Joe Farmer.

The money will be spread out over five years, Farmer said.

The three counties receiving funding surround the Savannah River Site, a former nuclear weapons complex. These counties must be able to efficiently respond to accidents involving hazardous materials, said U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C.

• Sanford in Texas for Reserve training

Gov. Mark Sanford is in Texas through the end of next week, training as a medical evacuation officer in the Air Force Reserve, his office said.

Sanford, a captain in the Reserve, arrived Monday at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, said his spokesman Chris Drummond.

The training meant Sanford was not in Columbia for the opening of the legislative session this week. Lawmakers are expected to consider his plans to cut income taxes, restructure state government, establish tax credits for parents of private-school children and change liability laws.

Sanford joined the Reserve two months before filing to run for governor in 2002.

Contributing: The Associated Press