County Councils, mainly in the Pee Dee region, have ably demonstrated local opposition to hog farms by passing local laws that are more stringent that the state regulations governing their operation. That exercise of local control has gotten the attention of legislators who apparently oppose the idea of effective Home Rule, and are attempting to force a bill that would largely eliminate the option.
Ironically, the amendment to a House-passed bill on legislative regulatory review -- up for third reading today -- exempts hog farms in an effort to improve its prospects of Senate passage. But opponents say that the hog farm exemption could well be inserted by a conference committee.
In any event, the amendment is rightly viewed as an attack on Home Rule. The S.C. Association of Counties has been sharply critical of the proposal, which has the support of the state Chamber of Commerce and the Farm Bureau. It also is opposed by conservation groups because it would cripple local protections for the environment.
In a legislative alert to its members, the counties' association said the proposal would "be extremely harmful to local governments and would not only restrict the ability of counties to address the petitions of its local community, but would necessitate the review of all local permitting and licensing standards."
The proposal could prohibit stronger local ordinances on a variety of activities for which the state has permitting authority, the association says. Those include business licenses, outdoor advertising, road construction standards, wastewater permits, solid waste fees, and some building and land-clearing standards. The list also includes large-scale confined animal operations for poultry and livestock.
Local ordinances are made in response to public opinion at the local level, by locally elected officials who are directly responsible to their constituents.
That provides for more effective governance than having local decisions made in Columbia. Senate supporters of effective local government should derail this ill-advised attack on Home Rule.
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