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Article published Mar 24, 2003
Sanford's DHEC pick can balance business and conservation interests

Gov. Mark Sanford has chosen a woman to head the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control board who may be able to bring balance to the often competing interests of business and conservation.
Elizabeth M. Hagood has background in business and environmentalism. And she is endorsed by both business and conservation advocacy groups, a rare accomplishment.
Too often, business and environmental concerns are pitted against each other. They shouldn't be. They are not mutually exclusive. Business does not have to be stifled to protect the environment, and encouraging business growth does not mean trashing natural resources.
It is important that Hagood chaired Sanford's quality of life task force during his transition. She says quality of life will be the key standard she will use to help set the direction for DHEC.
It's a good standard that should bring moderation to the board. The state's
quality of life will not be enhanced by environmental rules that are too strict or too loose.
"Business and conservation principles can and must work together so that we're advancing our economic interests and preserving the health of our people and the natural resources that make South Carolina so uniquely attractive," Hagood told The State newspaper.
That's a well-stated principle that should guide the board as it runs an agency that sets environmental and health policies and regulations.
Hagood has the business education and relationships to gain credibility among the state's companies. She has the experience, as a former director of the Lowcountry Open Land Trust and a member of the S.C. Coastal Conservation League, to give her the trust of environmental groups. Officials with the state Chamber of Commerce and the S.C. Environmental Law Project have both spoken highly of her.
It's unlikely that will continue. As she and the board make specific decisions, there will have to be winners and losers. But if she continues to balance the concerns of business and conservation, the state will come out ahead.