Major victory in the South Carolina Supreme Court for the SC Environmental Law Project (SCELP)

On February 1st, 2010, the SC Supreme Court ruled to uphold the Coastal Management Program which is used to protect wetlands throughout South Carolina’s 8 coastal counties.  The case was filed as an appeal by Spectre, LLC who had been denied a stormwater permit by DHEC, which included plans to fill over 30 acres of wetlands as part of its development in Horry County.  SCELP represented Georgetown, Charleston and State League of Women Voters, SC Wildlife Federation and Coastal Conservation League in the case.  According to Amy Armstrong, the attorney who argued the case in the Supreme Court, the ruling states that the Coastal Management Program “is valid and enforceable and was properly promulgated pursuant to the SC Coastal Zone Management Act.”  You can read SCELP’s article on this case and access the court’s decision at: http://scelp.org/posts/view/49.

We hope that this ruling will improve chances of ceasing improper development on coastal areas in the SC counties of Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Georgetown, Horry, and Jasper.