Preserving South Carolina’s Land for the People—Now and for the Future

Preserving South Carolina’s forests, rivers, coastal lands, and rural heritage isn’t just good environmental policy—it’s a promise to future generations.

As chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee for Natural Resources, I’ve made it a priority to ensure that public funds for land preservation are used wisely, collaboratively, and with maximum benefit to the people of our state.

To do that, I worked closely with South Carolina’s key resource agencies—including the Department of Natural Resources, Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, the Office of Resilience, the Forestry Commission, and the Conservation Bank—to create a coordinated strategy for land acquisition.

This collaboration was formalized through a budget proviso I authored and negotiated into this year’s state budget. It ensures that when state funds are used to purchase conservation land or easements, agencies will:

• Hold regular joint planning meetings

• Evaluate cost-effective strategies (like easements vs. purchases)

• Consider benefits like flood mitigation, historic preservation, and public access

• Identify diverse funding sources and leverage partnerships

• Report transparently on all acquisitions and long-term stewardship plans

This commonsense approach prevents duplication, aligns with each agency’s goals, and guarantees greater accountability to taxpayers.

It’s not about just buying land—it’s about buying the right land, for the right reasons, with the right partnerships.

I’ve been involved in land protection work since 2007, when I helped create the Safe Home Program while serving as the governor’s chief of staff. That experience, along with my role now in the Senate, continues to shape how we protect the natural resources that make South Carolina special.

Moving forward, I remain committed to ensuring that our land conservation policies are not only effective—but also transparent, strategic, and worthy of the trust South Carolinians place in us.

Full Proviso:

117.164.   (GP: Land Acquisitions)  (A)  Prior to entering into contracts to utilize funds appropriated or authorized by the General Assembly to acquire interests in land for natural resource protection and rural land preservation, including conservation easements (Land Protection Projects), the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, the Office of Resilience, and the Forestry Commission, and the SC Conservation Bank (Resource Agencies) shall coordinate and collaborate with each other to maximize the most cost effective options available for the acquisition with the greatest public benefit. The Resource Agencies shall coordinate with each other to ensure that the funds are used for projects that support the agency’s objectives, and do not substantially encroach upon another agency’s objectives, the State’s broader conservation objectives, and that demonstrate a satisfactory degree of financial leverage, partnerships, and other indicators of quality as determined by the Resource Agencies. 

        (B) In addition to the requirements set forth above, collaboration and coordination shall include but are not limited to:

                (1)  quarterly collaboration and planning meetings to coordinate on projects and ensure compliance with this proviso;

                (2)  consideration of easement versus acquisition strategies for a proposed project;

                (3)  consideration of a proposed project’s importance in terms of natural conservation, historic resource protection, flood mitigation, agricultural resource protection, or other applicable co-benefits;        

                (4)  consideration of public access; and

                (5)  consideration of funding sources for the potential project. 

        (C)(1)   Along with its statutorily required annual budget requests, each one of the Resource Agencies shall certify, in writing, to the Executive Budget Office that its budget requests for Land Protection Projects will conform with the requirements of this proviso, with a copy of that written certification being contemporaneously provided to the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

                (2)  By August 15th of the fiscal year, the Executive Budget Office shall prepare a report to the General Assembly of the properties acquired in prior fiscal year, the funding sources for the acquisition, the identification of any reductions in the State’s basis in the property including owner agreement to sell below market value and any grants applied to the acquisition, and the intended agency for long-term management of the acquisition.  

        (D) Where required, the acquisitions process shall follow the existing JBRC and SFAA approval processes. The Resource Agency acquiring the interest in land, any Resource Agency directly participating in the acquisition financially or otherwise, and the Conservation Bank shall continue to submit a proviso compliance certification document when submitting a project.