Columbia, S.C. – Governor Henry McMaster today released the following statement in response to the S.C. House of Representatives standing up for the people of South Carolina and voting to continue fighting until ratepayers are no longer forced to pay for VC Summer Units 2 & 3.

“The House of Representatives and I have remained steadfast in our belief that there is no acceptable amount for South Carolinians to continue paying into the failed nuclear reactors at VC Summer, and today, the House took a vote that shows the people of this great state that they will join me in continuing to fight for them. Doing the right thing on behalf of the people we have been elected to serve should always take priority over the concerns of any company, and in the strongest possible terms, I urge the Senate to do the right thing and make sure no South Carolinian pays another dime for power plants they will never get.”

Watch a video of Governor McMaster answering questions on S.954 from earlier today.

Excerpts from the governor’s media availability:

“I am not concerned about legislator games, threats, connivances, and discussions – I’m not concerned with it. What I’m concerned about are the people of South Carolina who have paid their money, who had no choice to pay it, are not getting what they paid for. They need to get their money back and they need to not pay another cent. So, the amount that they ought to pay from here on is ZERO. That is the only acceptable amount. …

“It defies logic, it defies common sense, and it defies good faith to require the people of South Carolina to pay for something that they’re not going to get – particularly after they’ve been paying for it for years. We should be rushing to get them they’re money back, not rushing to see how much more we’re going to let the company charge them for something they’re not going to get. It’s absurd.”