Charleston City Paper/The Statehouse Report

South Carolina’s Public Service Commission (PSC) has given itself six months to review the largest utility merger in U.S. history — the proposed $67-billion deal between Florida power behemoth NextEra and Virginia’s Dominion Energy, which operates in 20 states including S.C.

The company's plans to add 15 gigawatts of power generation to support data center growth caught the attention of S.C. ratepayer advocates. “It’s all about data centers,” S.C. League of Women Voters Vice President Lynn Teague said with a sigh. “That’s what’s making Dominion such an attractive target.”

Data centers — increasingly controversial in S.C. due to their high water and power usage — have emerged as a major issue in the merger,

Your vote is your right–and your power. Got an opinion? Make it count! Get ready at VOTE411.org, your one-stop source for nonpartisan election and voting information.

Register or check your registration no later than October 4. Compare candidates and make a plan to vote. The League recommends that you vote early, October 19-31, Monday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. at county early voting centers. If voting by absentee ballot, get it postmarked at the Post Office retail counter by November 3.

One common misconception about the League of Women Voters is that being nonpartisan means staying silent on important issues. It doesn't.

Supporting free, fair, and accessible elections is not partisan. For more than 100 years, we have worked to empower voters and defend democracy unapologetically. Nonpartisan ≠ Nonpolitical.

Civic engagement groups are now able to resume voter registration at administrative naturalization ceremonies. “When people become American citizens, they should be welcomed into full participation in civic life, not met with new barriers,” said Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters. “For generations, the League has stood beside new citizens as they take the oath of citizenship and prepare to make their voices heard at the ballot box. Today’s ruling protects that fundamental democratic principle, and we will continue fighting to ensure every eligible voter can participate freely and fully in our democracy.”

The world knows from harsh experience what happens when powerful individuals and groups are allowed unregulated ability to do whatever increases their own power and influence. Data centers are the newest example. This doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t exist. It does mean that their owners must be compelled to be transparent about their plans, build and operate their facilities in ways that do not trample on the lives of their neighbors, and they must pay their own way.