Planned power line could impact vulnerable SC species

Environmental groups are worried that a new transmission line through an ancient South Carolina forest could impact nearly two-dozen vulnerable species.

Spearheaded by the state-owned Santee Cooper, the project would rely on an existing right-of-way through Audubon South Carolina’s Beidler Forest Sanctuary in Dorchester County. Audubon worries the project could could result in the uprooting of ancient trees in the forest, outside of the project’s current right-of-way.

Installation of the new line still needs the approval of the state’s Public Service Commission.

“ We’re very concerned that the construction and maintenance of that new transmission line would significantly affect portions of the original-growth Cypress Forest, wetlands and state-listed species like the spotted turtle,” said Kate Mixson, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center.

Located in Four Holes Swamp, Beidler is one of only two relatively untouched cypress-tupelo swamp forests in the state. The other is in Congaree National Park. The woodland has looked essentially the same for thousands of years, Mixson said. Beidler also is the world’s largest uncut cypress-tupelo forest, according to the Law Center.

Seven federally protected species are ranked as either “endangered,” “threatened” or a “candidate” for federal protection within one mile of the planned power line, according to the project’s environmental review. The S.C. Department of Natural Resources identified 15 state-protected species in the surrounding counties of Berkeley and Dorchester that could be impacted by the project.

One of those species is double-listed as both federally and state-protected: the red-cockaded woodpecker. That species was downgraded from federally “endangered” to “threatened” last year, a success the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service attributes to decades of concerted habitat restoration work.

Santee Cooper’s environmental analysis concluded that the new line, which would stretch abut 21.5 miles, is “not expected to have an adverse effect on federally or state-protected species,” in many cases due either to a reported absence of suitable habitat in the immediate project area, or a lack of observations during field research in August 2024.

In a concurring letter, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in late January agreed with the utility’s assessment that the project would not impact federally-protected species. That letter came a little over a week after a newly sworn in President Donald Trump issued an executive order aimed at “unleashing American energy” and sought to bypass “burdensome and ideologically motivated regulations.”

The utility also would protect all surrounding wetlands on the project line “to the maximum extent practical,” according to the environmental report. Tim Evans, the director of land conservation at the Beidler Forest Sanctuary, isn’t so sure about that.

He said the project could impact critical habitat for the Sanctuary’s wildlife through the potential removal of trees that pose a threat to the new line. A Santee Cooper spokesperson said the utility would only remove trees as a last resort, would only take dead or dying trees and would consult with Audubon before removal.

“ Places like Beidler and Congaree National Park are the most productive habitat for breeding birds like prothonotary warblers and Swainson’s warblers,” Evans said, adding that even a dead tree offers a habitat for the forest’s creatures — including its iconic barred owls.

He worries that debris from construction could muddy the Sanctuary’s waters, preventing the owls from accessing their preferred prey of water-dwelling crayfish.

“ What happens if you dump sediment into this system and suddenly this water gets cloudy and the owls can’t see the bottom?” He asked. “You disrupt the whole system, because it’s based on this clear water where owls can see what’s moving. So site predators can’t function.”

As bird populations elsewhere shrink, Beidler provides an “immensely valuable habitat” for the more than 150 avian species that Audubon has documented on the property, Evans said. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology reports that Canada and the U.S. have about three billion fewer birds than they did in 1970, and about a third of that total loss are forest-dwelling birds.

Evans said clean water also is critical to supporting the spotted turtle, which is a state-protected species in South Carolina. The S.C. DNR considers habitat loss and collection for the pet trade one of the greatest threats to that species’ population

The Law Center reports that Beidler has been recognized as an Important Bird Area by Audubon, a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance by the international Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and as both a National Natural Landmark and a site on the Underground Railroad by the National Park Service.