A publication of SCANA Corporation
HOUSE CALLS // COMMUNITY PARTNER // COMPLETING THE TRAIL
WINTER
2017
In January, we achieved another significant milestone in the construction of
our two new nuclear plants at V.C. Summer Nuclear Station. On January 10,
SCE&G and Santee Cooper placed the first steam generator at a Westinghouse
AP1000 nuclear plant in the United States.
The steam generator transfers heat from
the reactor to convert water into steam.
It weighs approximately 1.5 million
pounds, measures 20 feet in diameter
and is more than 80 feet long. When it
arrived from South Korea at the Port of
Charleston, it went on record as one of
the heaviest energy project shipments
for the South Carolina Ports Authority. It
is one of two steam generators required
for V.C. Summer Unit 2.
We will continue to provide updates on
our new nuclear project as construction
of Units 2 and 3 progresses. This issue
of Insights highlights some of the many
outreach activities that took place at
V.C. Summer and in the community
during 2016. From a visit by the
chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission to hosting almost 200
students and teachers during Nuclear
Science Week and much more, it was
a busy year.
Community outreach is a thread that
runs throughout this issue of Insights.
We’re pleased to feature customer
assistance advisers Mary Ann Wright,
Stan Hollis and Carmen Adderly. They
embody our SCANA value “serve the
community.” Every day, they provide
support and hope to our customers most
in need. You’ll enjoy reading about the
compassion and dedication they bring
to their work.
For many years, SCE&G has been a
contributor to the development of
South Carolina’s Palmetto Trail. When
completed, the 500-mile trail will be
one of just 16 cross-state trails in the
United States. A large group of company
employees and retirees volunteer their
time to maintaining and upgrading
various sections of the trail. This issue
highlights how they are contributing
to the push to complete this wonderful
resource.
Our commitment to community
service extends to our environmental
stewardship. We strive to ensure that
natural resources are preserved for
future generations. In this issue, you’ll
learn how SCE&G has modernized its
coal-handling and ash storage process.
The article focuses on work being done
at Wateree Station to close the plant’s
two coal ash storage ponds.
SCANA’s economic development team
is also involved in improving the quality
of life in the communities we serve.
The team works closely with state and
local agencies in recruiting companies
to South Carolina that will bring new
jobs and improve the local economy.
Our economic development feature is
on Mercedes-Benz Vans, LLC, which is
building its first full-production plant
in the U.S. in North Charleston.
There are a lot of positive things
happening in our region. I wish you, your
family and your business the best in 2017.
Kevin Marsh,
Chairman, President and
Chief Executive Officer,
SCANA Corporation
WINTER 2017 • VOLUME 30, NUMBER 1
2 House Calls
Customer assistance advisers offer aid to customers
in need.
8 Sprinting into the Future
In Charleston County, Mercedes-Benz Vans, LLC, is building its first full-production plant in the United States.
14 Community Partner
V.C. Summer employees go beyond supplying electricity to serve and educate the community.
18
24
Moving Ash
SCE&G’s strategic coal ash management will leave a positive environmental legacy for the future.
Completing the Trail
SCE&G employees join the push to finish South Carolina’s Palmetto Trail.
Cover A stone staircase
on the Saluda Mountains
Passage of the Palmetto Trail.
The 9.1-mile passage runs along
the South and North Carolina
border in the Upstate.
Editor
Jim Poindexter
Insights is produced three times a year by the SCANA Marketing & Communications Dept.
SCANA Corporation, headquartered in Cayce, S.C., is an energy-based holding company
principally engaged, through subsidiaries, in electric and natural gas utility
operations and other energy-related businesses.
Vice President of Marketing & Communications
Cathy Love
Call 803-217-7628 if you have any comments, questions or ideas
for articles, or email [email protected].
Insights can be viewed on the SCANA home page at scana.com/insights.
SCANA Corporation | Mail Code B227 | 220 Operation Way | Cayce, SC 29033-3701
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All product and company names herein may
be trademarks of their registered owners.
BY KEELA GLOVER
| PHOTOS BY ROBERT CLARK
HOUSE
CALLS
Customer assistance advisers offer
aid to customers in need.
2 INSIGHTS • WINTER 2017
It started out as a routine visit. The customer
assistance adviser was delivering a check to
a young mother who had been referred to the
Good Neighbor Fund by an SCE&G employee.
As she was invited into the apartment, she was
stunned. What she saw made her heart break.
There was only one chair and a bed frame,
without a mattress, in the small apartment.
Circumstances such as this are familiar to the
dedicated employees of SCE&G’s customer
assistance department. SCE&G senior
management created the department in 1979
as a part of the company’s commitment to
serving the community. Since that time, this
group has provided service and hope to
customers in their time of need.
WINTER 2017 • INSIGHTS 3
Employees prepare food
baskets for more than 900
families in South Carolina
and North Carolina during
the annual Good Neighbor
Fund Christmas project.
4 INSIGHTS WINTER 2017
“Excelling in customer service is one of our corporate
values. I feel so fortunate that the company enables
me to be an advocate for our customers with
special needs in special situations.“
— Mary Ann Wright
“We are an extension of our customer service
specialists who are on the phone and who work
in our business offices,” said Mary Ann Wright,
customer assistance adviser, who started with
the department in 1988. “They often contact us
to follow up on customers who have needs beyond
payment arrangements.”
From home visits to presentations at
community meetings, SCE&G’s customer
assistance advisers connect the customer’s
need to the appropriate resource.
“It starts with someone in the company
recognizing a need. Knowing we have a department that can handle that need, they call us,” said
Cristina Freeman, customer assistance manager.
“Then we find a program or programs that can fill
those needs to the best of our ability. If we can’t
continue that process, we follow up with another
resource in the community that can. So we don’t
just forget about that customer.”
Networking with community action agencies
and other community groups gives the advisers
the ability to find solutions to many customer
problems including utility and energy bill
assistance, rental assistance and weatherization
to make homes more energy efficient.
“We sit on inter-agency councils that allow
us to be educated on everything from First Steps
to the Social Security Administration,” said Stan
Hollis, an adviser for 24 years. “Being better
informed on what these agencies do enables
us to better help customers when they need
services that we can’t provide.”
The work they do is often surprising to the
customer. “We help customers see us beyond the
lens of just being their utility,” said Freeman. “We
give them someone to talk to who understands the
situation, whether we can solve it or not, we’re
giving them the compassion they need.”
In addition to working with external agencies,
the advisers also play a critical role with the
company’s Good Neighbor Fund, a nonprofit
organization run by employees who are committed
to providing financial assistance to needy families
facing unexpected tragedies or emergencies.
“The Good Neighbor Fund is funded by
employees who generously donate through payroll
deduction and also refer families or individuals
who need assistance,” said Freeman. “Our
department helps to ensure that those dollars are
spent properly by meeting with the families to
determine the amount of assistance needed to
help them through the situation.”
The Good Neighbor Fund cannot be used to
pay utility bills, but it does help to take care of
other expenses that are preventing the customer
from paying their utility bill. The fund has
helped with mortgages and rent, medical bills
and prescriptions, and with furniture and other
household goods that have been lost to fire and
recent flooding.
During the Good Neighbor Fund’s Christmas
project, which provides food baskets and toys to
more than 900 families in South Carolina and
North Carolina each year, the customer assistance
department helps to find families who would
WINTER 2017 • INSIGHTS 5
“What we do is so rewarding. It feels really
good to wake up in the morning knowing
you’ve got a place to go and you’re going
to enjoy what you’re going to be doing.”
— Stan Hollis
benefit most and they also help with logistics such
as delivering baskets and toys.
Though the advisers work throughout SCE&G’s
service territory, one thing that connects them all
is their heart for service. They make more than
3,500 home visits to customers each year, driving
thousands of miles. It’s not easy work, but all the
advisers agree that it is rewarding.
“During a home visit, you never know what
you’re going to find. Sometimes it might not be the
safest conditions, so we have to be careful,” said
Carmen Adderley, who has been an adviser for
20 years. “But regardless of the surroundings,
we treat them with respect and let them know
that we’re there for them, and the customers
appreciate that. I love people and I love being
able to help people.”
The nature of the work requires some evenings
and weekends. “I’m always amazed at how they’re
willing to go out on the weekends to work at a
community event,” said Freeman. “They may not
live in the neighborhood, but they’re a part of
it. It’s the type of thing that says a lot about our
company value to serve our communities, but it
says even more about these individuals.”
It’s that love of community service that has
kept these advisers going for decades.
“I have a customer who is 95 years old who I
help with an energy assistance application each
6 INSIGHTS • WINTER 2017
year during my work at a senior citizens center,”
said Wright. “She and others like her can’t get into
cars and drive to the community action agency
or to our business office. I’m an advocate for our
customers with special needs in special situations.”
“Many times the customer feels like they are
at their wits’ end, and they don’t know where
to turn,” said Monica Wilson, who is the voice
that many customers and agency representatives
hear when they call the customer assistance
department. “They don’t know where to turn, but
we have an agency or the Good Neighbor Fund
that can help.”
“We’re not just a company that is taking money
from people,” said Hollis. “We often encounter
customers who see us in a negative way, they may
even be irate, but we’re able to help them see that
we understand and we are here to help.”
That empathy and dedication has helped
thousands of customers over the years. Customers
like the young mother and son living in the
sparsely furnished apartment.
“When the adviser saw that, she started with
her networks within the community to see where
she could find help,” said Freeman. “For that
customer, we were able to get resources together
to get them furniture, including a mattress, and
to get this child school supplies that he needed
for school.”
“I love people and I love being able to help people.
I love being connected with something that can
help people. It’s just that simple.“
— Carmen Adderley
Workers at Sportsman Boats prepare a new hull for assembly.
WINTER 2017 • INSIGHTS 7
8 INSIGHTS • WINTER 2017
A Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van
rolls through the inspection line
at the company’s reassembly
plant in North Charleston.
SPRINTING INTO THE
FUTURE
In Charleston County, Mercedes-Benz
Vans, LLC is building its first full
production plant in the United States.
BY JIM POINDEXTER
| PHOTOS BY ROBERT CLARK AND MERCEDES-BENZ VANS, LLC
WINTER 2017 • INSIGHTS 9
On an almost 200-acre site off Palmetto
Commerce Parkway in North Charleston,
the future of Mercedes-Benz Vans, LLC, is
taking shape. Under construction here is a
one-million-square-foot manufacturing plant
that, by the end of the decade, will produce the
company’s next-generation Sprinter van for the
North American market. The new plant is an
expansion of the Mercedes-Benz Vans, LLC,
reassembly plant nearby, in operation since 2006.
When completed, the new plant will not only ramp
up production of the highly successful Sprinter.
It will also become the first automotive original
equipment manufacturer (OEM) to make its home
in Charleston County and the first in the U.S.
since 2011.
Transitioning to a full-scale OEM will replace
the current process of reassembling Sprinters built
completely in Germany, partially disassembled
and shipped to Charleston, all to avoid high
import tariffs on fully built commercial vehicles
from Europe.
“The reassembly process is not the most
efficient, but it has proved to be a viable option to
supply the U.S. market as we tested the success
of the Sprinter here,” said Michael Balke, CEO of
Mercedes-Benz Vans, LLC. “Now the U.S. is our
second-largest market for the Sprinter in terms of
unit sales after Germany, so we know the Sprinter
certainly passed the test!”
The Sprinter is one of the most successful
commercial vehicles in the world. Since its
introduction in 1995, the company has delivered
more than three million units to customers. The
large commercial van is driven in 130 countries.
“Now that the Sprinter has successfully
grown in the U.S. market, we can expand our
reassembly operation to include full production
of the Sprinter,” said Balke. “What better place
to do so than where we already have roots, here
in Charleston? We explored all possibilities to
make the best decision for our growth, but we
ultimately chose Charleston because of the success
and dedication of the existing team, as well as the
supportive business relationship with community
and state leaders.”
Steve Dykes, SCCED, AICP, was involved in the
effort to bring the Mercedes-Benz Vans reassembly
10 INSIGHTS • WINTER 2017
plant to North Charleston ten years ago. Dykes
is the executive director of Charleston County
Economic Development Department. Having an
automotive OEM in the region has long been on
his wish list.
“Mercedes-Benz Vans has established
themselves as a world-leading brand in our
community,” Dykes said. “We wholeheartedly
supported their expansion plans. When we first
met with Mercedes-Benz Vans, LLC, known then
as Daimler Vans Manufacturing, in 2014, it wasn’t
a given that they were going to locate the new
Sprinter plant here. But we worked with them to
solve some issues they had with the existing site.
“One of their biggest dilemmas was the need
for a marshalling yard to store finished vans before
distribution. We identified another site of about
60 acres across Palmetto Commerce Parkway
from their reassembly plant to serve this purpose.
Charleston County committed to improve the site
by installing a traffic signal.”
SCE&G partners with city and county
governments to develop infrastructure to support
the growth of existing industry and recruitment of
new industry, said Economic Development & Local
Government Manager Anna Pinckney.
“Across our service territory, we have the
privilege of partnering with city and county
governments such as the City of North Charleston
and Charleston County for Palmetto Commerce
Park,” Pinckney said. “Investments in the road
network, for example, continue to open up prime
Class A industrial space with proximity to the
Charleston International Airport and major
interstate highways. The continued growth by
internationally recognized industries such as
Mercedes-Benz Vans, LLC, along with Boeing
South Carolina, Cummins, TIGHitCo and IFA
Rotorion corroborates the long-term positive
impact of investments in public infrastructure.”
Pinckney added that many departments
within SCE&G are involved in the recruitment
of new business.
“Working with an existing company to make the
case to their leadership that this is the place the
company should grow is a particularly rewarding
challenge,” she said. “Our economic development
team partners with other SCE&G business units,
Photo by Robert Clark
According to Michael Balke,
CEO of Mercedes-Benz Vans,
the United States is the
company’s second-largest
market for the Sprinter van
in terms of unit sales.
WINTER 2017 • INSIGHTS 11
such as customer service, engineering, electric
operations, gas operations, lighting services and
large customer accounts, to help the company
make a compelling case for continued investment
in that location instead of another plant or a
new location.”
Westy Westmoreland is SCE&G general
manager of utility support services. Westmoreland
said working with current and potential customers
goes beyond just determining the company’s
energy needs.
“When an existing customer such as MercedesBenz Vans, LLC, wants to expand, we work
closely with their project team to understand
not only the electric, gas and site lighting needs
of the new operation but also how construction
may affect their existing plant and its energy
systems,” Westmoreland said. “We bring everyone
necessary to the table to coordinate system design,
permitting, construction power, as well as the
long-term integration of the future plant into
the current footprint. When an expansion is part
of a larger industrial park, this interaction and
planning extends to input from and coordination
with adjacent customers, park owners and the
government authorities with jurisdiction over
the plant site.”
Mercedes-Benz Vans, LLC, plans to invest
$500 million to build the new assembly plant. The
body shop of the new plant is being constructed
first, followed by a paint shop and the assembly
lines. The new facility will add around 1 million
square feet to the existing 400,000-square-foot
reassembly plant. Production of the company’s
next-generation Sprinter is planned to begin
before the end of the decade.
“The new plant will be one of the most
advanced facilities in North America,” said Balke.
“For the first time, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
will be made in the United States. Full production
of the Sprinter at our Charleston site, including
body and paint, will be the most competitive and
efficient process for our operation. This means
shorter lead time to react to customer demand
and that we can be more responsive to the market.
We look forward to passing this value on to
our customers.”
The existing Mercedes-Benz Vans team
has already grown significantly to support the
expansion and will potentially reach up to 1,300.
Photo by Robert Clark
Steve Dykes, executive director of Charleston County Economic Development Department,
has long wanted an automotive OEM in the region.
12 INSIGHTS • WINTER 2017
Since its introduction in
1995, Mercedes-Benz Vans,
LLC, has delivered more than
three million Sprinter vans to
customers across the globe.
It’s estimated that suppliers will add another 400
jobs in and around the North Charleston area.
When the new plant is up and running, MercedesBenz Vans will be among the largest industrial
employers in the region.
“The multiplier effect is enormous,” Dykes
said. “You’ve got the initial capital investment and
hiring of people, but you also have that facility
doing a lot of purchasing. And you have the
company’s suppliers. At this point we don’t know
how pervasive the supply chain for the new plant
will be, but we know there will be a number of
other companies moving into the state, perhaps
our community, to provide components for the
Sprinter vans.”
Beyond jobs and economic development,
Balke said the company is looking forward to
strengthening its partnership with Charleston
County and the surrounding community.
“Since we originally founded our operations
here in 2006, we’ve had a strong partnership with
Charleston County, and they continue to be an
important part of our strategy moving forward,”
Balke said. “We are giving back to our community
through partnerships with several organizations.
You might see our Sprinter vans being used by the
South Carolina Aquarium to return rehabilitated
sea turtles to their natural habitat. Or you might
see a Sprinter van as the lead vehicle for the
Cooper River Bridge Run, which benefits several
local charitable organizations. We love making
an impact in the Charleston community, and will
continue to give back as we grow.”
WINTER 2017 • INSIGHTS 13
BY ERICA KNIGHT
COMMUNITY
PARTNER
V.C. Summer employees go beyond supplying electricity to serve and educate the community.
As the massive steel structures of two new nuclear plants continue to grow ever
taller, the experience of being on the construction site at V.C. Summer Nuclear
Station in Jenkinsville, S.C. leaves a lasting and favorable impression.
“It’s just very exciting to be able to have that here in our own county,” said
Vernon Kennedy, a board member with the Fairfield County Chamber of
Commerce. “It makes us very proud to be able to be a part of that as well.”
14 INSIGHTS • WINTER 2017
NAYGN HS Blitz: V.C. Summer employees Kisha Chaplain and Madeline Pete speak to students at Fairfield Central High School during the North
American Young Generation in Nuclear High School Blitz Oct. 28. During the Blitz, 46 NAYGN volunteers visited 21 Midlands area high schools
reaching approximately 3,800 students and teachers in one day.
Kennedy is among the many visitors SCE&G
welcomed in 2016 for tours of the site where the
Cayce, S.C.-based utility and its partner, Santee
Cooper, are building two new Westinghouse
AP1000 nuclear generating units.
Stephen Burns, chairman of the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, visited the site in March.
As head of the federal agency that independently
oversees nuclear reactor safety in the U.S., Burns
and members of his staff got a close-up look of the
work underway on Units 2 and 3.
“There’s nothing like seeing it in person quite
honestly,” Burns said during the tour. “I’m pleased
to come out here to Summer.”
Committed to protecting the safety of the
public and the environment, Burns and his staff
of regulators, which includes four inspectors
dedicated to V.C. Summer Units 2 and 3,
will continue to keep close oversight as the
project progresses.
In addition to interacting with those visiting
the site, V.C. Summer employees also have close
ties with the community through a variety of
outreach programs. A three-month summer
internship program is one opportunity that gives
college students a chance to get to know the
nuclear industry.
“They got to experience something real,”
said Jeff Archie, SCE&G’s Chief Nuclear Officer,
regarding the interns at V.C. Summer. “Learning
is continuous. We do it all the time.”
One thing V.C. Summer employees have learned
is the importance of supporting their neighbors
through activities such as home weatherization,
supply drives for schools and food banks, and
supporting students interested in science,
technology, engineering and math careers.
WINTER 2017 • INSIGHTS 15
SCE&G Chief Nuclear Officer Jeff Archie presents Jenkinsville homeowner Hattie Bell a blanket and gift during a home dedication ceremony. Volunteers
from SCE&G, including V.C. Summer employees, weatherized the home by replacing windows, repairing the HVAC, installing ceiling fans, caulking
around doors and window, repairing and replacing electrical switches, and trimming trees on the property.
Following are highlights of the many activities and events that took place at V.C. Summer and
in the community.
Archie Speaks to Chamber: SCE&G’s CNO Jeff Archie spoke to Fairfield
County Chamber of Commerce members about the importance of V.C.
Summer Units 2 and 3 as part of a clean, reliable energy future for South
Carolina. The chamber members toured the construction site during
their annual meeting in June 2016. Archie also talked about the strong
relationship that V.C. Summer has with the county.
Bow Tie Club: In February 2016, the Bow Tie Club visited V.C. Summer to
learn about nuclear power. The Bow Tie Club is a mentoring program for
young men in the Fairfield County School District grades seven through
12 led by Superintendent Dr. J.R. Green.
16 INSIGHTS • WINTER 2017
NSW: As part of Nuclear Science Week in October, Karl Sease, an AP1000 operations instructor, shows high school students from the Center
for Advanced Technical Studies clean energy class the reactor functions during a tour of the AP1000 control room simulator. In celebration of
Nuclear Science Week, SCE&G put a spotlight on nuclear careers with almost 200 students and teachers visiting V.C. Summer.
Community Coalition ERB Tour: In September 2016, Mike Kammer, an
emergency response unit supervisor, took V.C. Summer Community
Coalition members on a tour of the Emergency Response Building and
explained V.C. Summer’s readiness to respond in the highly unlikely
event of an emergency. The Community Coalition primarily consists
of western Fairfield County residents who meet regularly to learn and
discuss important topics at V.C. Summer and other subjects of interest
in the community.
Media Day: Alan Torres, SCE&G’s general manager for nuclear plant
construction, talks to media representatives about the components
and construction process for building the first-of-a-kind AP1000
reactors. On Sept. 21, SCE&G hosted about 25 media representatives
from outlets across South Carolina as well as regional and national
publications.
NRC Chair Visit: V.C. Summer’s Emergency Planning Manager Bob
Williamson explains the implementation of the FLEX equipment at
Unit 1 to NRC Chair Stephen Burns during his visit in March 2016. The
diverse and flexible coping capability, or “FLEX,” builds on earlier safety
steps by providing an effective and efficient way to make U.S. nuclear
energy facilities even safer.
WINTER 2017 • INSIGHTS 17
MOVING
ASH
18 INSIGHTS WINTER 2017
BY GINNY JONES
| PHOTOS BY ROBERT CLARK
SCE&G’s strategic coal ash
management will leave a positive
environmental legacy for the future.
WINTER 2017 • INSIGHTS 19
Sam Leaphart has worked in SCANA’s heavy equipment operations
group for 15 years. He estimates that, over the last seven years, he
and his fellow crew members have moved more than one million tons
of material out of the ash ponds at SCE&G’s Wateree Station near
Eastover, South Carolina.
On a cold morning in January, his crew is using
trackhoes to load wet coal ash into dump trucks.
The ash is then hauled across the facility’s grounds
to a permanent storage area where it is placed and
compacted. The work here goes on almost every
day, unless the weather doesn’t cooperate.
The project is part of SCANA’s remediation
strategy to eliminate the storage of coal ash in
unlined ponds. Moving the wet ash into dry
storage, or repurposing the material through
recycling, has resulted in significant improvements
in groundwater data routinely reported to
regulatory agencies.
Forty years ago, it was common practice for
coal-fired electric generating plants to place coal
ash in nearby containment ponds, according to
Jim Landreth, vice president of Fossil Hydro
operations for SCE&G.
“Much has changed since then,” said Landreth.
“Environmental regulatory standards for power
plants such as groundwater and air emissions, have
evolved over the years as technology has improved
and environmental science has progressed.”
For many years, SCE&G followed the industry
practice of moving coal ash with water and storing
the ash in facility ponds. SCE&G no longer handles
ash in this way, and, over the last decade, the
company has modernized many aspects of its coal
handling and ash storage process.
20 INSIGHTS • WINTER 2017
Landreth said he is proud of how SCE&G’s
coal ash management policies and practices
have evolved.
“We got here because of a series of decisions
through the years that have combined to change
our risk profile relative to other utilities,” Landreth
said. “We decided we needed to develop a longterm strategy for dealing with this. We did exactly
that, and we have worked our plan over the years.”
Landreth said three coal ash-related strategic
initiatives have reduced SCE&G’s risk profile.
The first was building the company’s newest coal
plants to include dry ash handling and storage
technology. Second, SCE&G created a dedicated
team to develop viable markets for the sale of coal
ash for beneficial use. Third, SCE&G constructed
the first commercially viable Carbon Burn Out
unit to produce value-added fly ash for the
manufacturing of high strength cement products.
All of these combined to avoid the construction
of at least eight additional ash ponds on SCE&G’s
system through the years.
SCANA Environmental Services Manager
Darrell Shier said these projects are part of
the company’s commitment to environmental
stewardship, which includes minimizing
operational impacts to air and water.
“We’re dedicated to doing what’s right for the
environment and certainly to complying with all
Gibbes’ extensive collection includes
George Washington, circa 1792, attributed
to Italian sculptor Giuseppe Ceracchi.
Wet coal ash is removed
from the old containment
ponds and placed into dry
storage areas.
WINTER 2017 • INSIGHTS 21
Sam Leaphart
oversees the ash pond
remediation project at
Wateree Station.
22 INSIGHTS WINTER 2017
SCE&G has moved more than one million tons of material out of the two ash ponds at Wateree Station.
state and federal environmental regulations,” Shier
said. “SCE&G’s coal ash storage management plans
have been created keeping in mind what’s right
in the long-term for the environment of South
Carolina, and for our customers.”
SCE&G has also received agency approval
on a plan to close the coal ash ponds at Canadys
Station, which ceased operating in 2013 and was
demolished last year. Shier said this plan includes
enough time for SCE&G to direct as much coal ash
as possible for beneficial use, or in recycling, such
as in the manufacture of cement, a practice which
SCE&G has been engaged in since 1984.
“It’s ideal when you can take something that’s
no longer being used and repurpose it,” Shier said.
“In this case, it will take some time due to the
annual market demand, but the result is a really
valuable long-term benefit to the environment.
The environmental benefit results not only
reduced landfilling, but also from the reduction
of greenhouse gas emissions from cement
production.”
In addition to the work at Wateree, SCANA’s
land management group has also been involved
in the clearing of old coal piles the company
no longer needs, such as those at Urquhart and
McMeekin stations after those plants were
converted to burn natural gas, and at the former
Canadys Station. All of the former coal pile
handling areas have been cleaned to remove
residual coal.
Leaphart knows the work he and his team
are doing is important and impactful to the
environment.
“I’m proud of what we do here on a day-today basis. I’m proud of what the company stands
for and represents when it comes to environmental
rules and regulations,” Leaphart said. “I’m proud
to work for a company and work with a group
of guys who not only enjoy the environment,
being out here on a day to day basis, but who
work hard to maintain our sites and to protect
the environment.”
WINTER 2017 • INSIGHTS 23
SCE&G employees built a 150-foot
bridge on top of an old train trestle
along the Peak to Prosperity Passage.
24 INSIGHTS WINTER 2017
Completing the Trail
SCE&G employees join the push to finish
South Carolina’s Palmetto Trail
BY KATRINA GOGGINS
| PHOTOS PROVIDED BY PALMETTO CONSERVATION FOUNDATION
WINTER 2017 • INSIGHTS 25
The trailhead to the
Middle Saluda Passage,
which features
waterfalls, dramatic
elevation changes and
diverse ecosystems.
26 INSIGHTS WINTER 2017
On any given Saturday, Furman Miller can be found out on South
Carolina’s Palmetto Trail, boot clad and hammer in hand, “soaking
in the great outdoors.”
Working on sections of the trail with a group
of passionate SCE&G volunteers has become his
labor of love, taking up much of his vacation and
weekend time. But Miller wouldn’t have it any
other way.
“Growing up on a farm, I’ve always valued
being outside, just getting a little outdoors on you,”
said Miller, a nuclear quality control supervisor at
V.C. Summer Nuclear Station. “Whether you’re a
seasoned hiker, a biker or just someone who wants
to get outside for a while, the trail gives everyone
a chance to get out and see the natural beauty
of South Carolina. It brings me joy knowing I’m
playing a small role in providing that opportunity.”
Conceived by the Palmetto Conservation
Foundation in 1994, the Palmetto Trail is the state’s
largest bicycle and pedestrian project. When
completed, the 500-mile trail will be one of just
16 cross-state trails in the United States.
Currently, the Palmetto Trail crosses 14
counties in South Carolina and includes bikeways,
greenways and rail-to-trail conversions. Several
passages veer through historic landmarks and
battlegrounds, a major draw for visitors and a
boost to local economies along the more than
360 miles already completed.
“We want to see the trail finished,” said Natalie
Britt, executive director of PCF. “We know the trail
can bring in tourism, help protect South Carolina’s
natural resources and bring in revenue for cities
and towns along it. We can complete the Palmetto
Trail, with the help of business partners and the
public, and showcase and enhance the rich natural
resources of our state.”
SCE&G has been a longtime contributor to
the Palmetto Trail, providing both funds and
volunteers. The company has donated nearly
$255,000 to the effort since 1994, in addition to
vehicles and equipment for the project. Stephanie
Jones, philanthropy supervisor for SCE&G, said
supporting the project aligns with core values of
the company.
“SCE&G is dedicated to doing what’s right
and serving our communities,” she said. “The
trail supports conservation and showcases South
Carolina’s history and landscape, things that we
care deeply about as a company. We’re proud to
contribute to the effort and proud of the many
SCE&G employees and retirees who play a role in
the project.”
Miller and his “core” of a few dozen
SCE&G employees and retirees have completed
maintenance and upgrades on various parts of the
trail, including the Peak to Prosperity Passage.
Currently serving as a Palmetto Trail coordinator,
Miller said support by businesses and agencies
have been key to completing hundreds of miles
of trail thus far.
“SCE&G has been very supportive, not just
through financial contributions but also through
events, employee work days and other efforts,”
he said. “I feel proud to work for a company
that is committed to such an important project
for our state.”
Work on the trail is year-round and volunteerled in many parts. For SCE&G and its employees,
supporting the trail is one way to demonstrate a
strong commitment to the environment, said Jeff
Archie, SCE&G chief nuclear officer and board
chair of the PCF.
“It’s more than words,” he said. “We truly care
about the environment, so we’re engaged, not only
WINTER 2017 • INSIGHTS 27
in protecting the environment, but in giving others
an opportunity to be exposed to the treasures of
South Carolina’s landscape.”
The trail has been a collaborative effort by
several businesses, municipalities and agencies,
Archie added. In 2012, a team of employees from
SCE&G, Shaw Group and Westinghouse worked
on a key section, building a 150-foot bridge on
top of a former train trestle along the Peak to
Prosperity Passage.
“As we connect the trail, we are also connecting
people and businesses, those that might not
otherwise have opportunities for direct interaction
on a project,” said Archie. “We are all teaming
up for this effort to preserve and protect the
environment and provide an opportunity for
others to see what South Carolina has to offer.”
Recently, the PCF launched the Finish the
Trail Campaign, in part to bring more awareness
about the project and also to spur additional
contributions. PCF has also teamed up with
agencies eager to promote the trail as an
economic boon.
“It’s much more than just a trail,” State Parks
Director Phil Gaines said. “It’s a way of connecting
people with state parks and lesser-traveled, lesserknown parts of South Carolina. There are so many
reasons this project is important, not just for us
at the state parks, but for growing tourism across
the state.”
Today, the Palmetto Trail travels through
Berkeley, Charleston, Clarendon, Fairfield,
Greenville, Laurens, Newberry, Oconee,
Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Spartanburg,
Sumter and Union counties. Its 27 passages
connect state parks, national forests, Revolutionary
War battlefields, county recreation areas
and historic military posts, all potential
tourist attractions.
“If we can connect these attractions we can
increase the impact,” Britt said. “We’re seeing
economic revitalization nationwide in part
because of trails and greenways. The same can
happen in South Carolina because of the Palmetto
Trail, if we finish the work we’ve started.”
28 INSIGHTS • WINTER 2017
In the summer of 2016, the Palmetto Trail
project received a “big step forward” by way of a
group of young adults. The PCF announced in July
the launch of the Palmetto Conservation Corps,
a new trail-based AmeriCorps service program
dedicated solely to the trail’s maintenance
and progress.
“The trail requires constant maintenance,” said
Matt Lawson, a trail coordinator for PCF. “There’s
also environmental threats such as littering and
illegal dumping, which unfortunately is occurring.
So, having a group join with volunteers to make
repairs and maintain the trail’s integrity is a big
step forward.”
Lawson said that while maintenance is
important, a key focus remains on connecting key
portions of the trail, particularly in the Upstate.
PCF announced that two new parts of the trail
were recently recommended for funding through
the federal Recreational Trails Program. City
officials are also showing support to finish
the project.
“We are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support for trail development in the
region,” PCF said in a recent release. “The City of
Walhalla, Oconee County and Pickens County have
been exceptional partners in moving the mission of
the Palmetto Trail forward.”
The number of volunteers and private donors
are also on the rise, a very encouraging sign for
long-time supporters such as Miller. He has several
great memories from years of working on the trail,
but will never forget one unexpected experience.
“Several years ago, a couple walking along the
trail saw us working and started asking questions
about what we were doing. The next day, they
came back with a check,” Miller said. “That’s
what I like about the trail. You never know who
you’ll meet or what this means to each hiker or
biker. I hope to see it finished, but for me the
reward is already here. Everyone who has walked
it and everyone who has worked on it, we’re all
connected to the trail and to one another.”
From the Upstate
to the Lowcountry,
the Palmetto Trail
showcases the diverse
natural resources of
South Carolina.