Recent editorials from South Carolina newspapers:
The Index-Journal
March 17
Be kind to those in need during this pandemic
At a time when patience and kindness should be at a high point, expect tensions to rise amid the latest news about the coronavirus.
These days, and the weeks to come, will serve to test us. They will test our compassion, test our love and concern for fellow human beings. They will test our faith.
As many, if not most, of us have witnessed, the nation has been preparing for the onslaught of the coronavirus the way many coastal residents prepare for a hurricane. They head to the stores to stock up on needed supplies and food items. But some do more than stock up; they hoard. And they hoard with the intention of profiting off the needs of others. It’s called price gouging.
The ripple effects of this pandemic are so far reaching, we cannot lay a finger on every possible instance. Restaurants and others in the service industry will lose customers, meaning jobs will be at risk. Grocery store shelves are being pilfered, putting others in need of food at great risk of missing meals. School closings are causing upheaval of schedules for parents and guardians who yet must work because the paycheck cannot be missed. Family members cannot visit with each other, either because of concern about spreading the disease, especially among the elderly, or because of travel restrictions and concerns.
Again, there is no way to measure the full impact this pandemic will have on our lives, but that does not mean we cannot do something to mitigate matters. We can be kind, we can be caring, we can be giving.
Offer to do something for someone who is homebound. If you do dine out, leave a larger than usual tip. If you have 24 rolls of toilet paper and know of someone who couldn’t find any on store shelves, share. Do the same with food items. Maybe even prepare a meal for someone in need. And in whatever you might do, do it with the health and well-being of yourself and others in mind.
It is times such as these that test us as a people, as part of the human race. Times like these can bring out our best. They can also bring out our worst.
What will it bring out in you?
The Post and Courier
March 15
Immediate action can prevent more Mount Trashmores
Statewide legislation is needed to address problems like the $4.5 million environmental disaster in Jasper County known as “Mount Trashmore.” But, smartly, Jasper County is moving ahead with its own set of regulations to require private waste handlers to have the financial ability to respond to emergencies such as fires and to clean up and shut down operations if necessary.
The Jasper County ordinance would:
– Require $60 worth of surety for every cubic yard of material on site.
– Limit debris piles to 8 feet and require a perimeter fence, or shrubs and trees, at least that high.
– Forbid waste-handling operations within 1,000 feet of homes, churches, schools, historical places or public parks.
According to Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, and The Island Packet, there are about 55 waste-handling businesses around the state that operate under permits similar to the ones issued to Able Contracting’s construction materials “recycling” business in Okatie.
We expect – but don’t know – that Department of Health and Environmental Control officials have inspected each site since the eruption of Mount Trashmore. So it would be wise for counties with similar operations to follow Jasper County’s lead.
The state is working to claw back from the operators of the Okatie dump as much of the cleanup cost as possible, but taxpayers will likely have to foot much of the bill. That hurts taxpayers in their wallets, which is bad enough, but the higher goal should be preventing harm to the environment and public health.
In Okatie, the smoldering fire burned for much of last summer, polluting the air with dangerous chemicals that prompted evacuations. Runoff from firefighting efforts threatened to contaminate area waterways.
The Jasper County Council ordinance is backed by Savannah Riverkeeper and the Coastal Conservation League, which recommended adding a wetlands setback to the ordinance. Because Lowcountry water sources, including groundwater, are so interconnected, the council should add such a provision before giving final approval to the ordinance Monday.
Recycling construction debris is smart. But it has to be done right and closely regulated. Most private operators specialize in certain materials like bricks or lumber, but Able Contracting appeared to accept almost anything while recycling little. The roughly 8-acre heap rose more than 50 feet.
Obviously, DHEC failed spectacularly in the case of Mount Trashmore. If the Legislature needs to clear up gray areas in the law that allowed the dump to operate as it did, it needs to take immediate action. And DHEC needs to reassure the public that all such sites are being regularly inspected and all regulations are being strictly enforced.
In the meantime, it’s reassuring that Jasper County is taking steps to prevent something similar from happening again. Pass the ordinance, and pass the word.
The Times and Democrat
March 11
Controlled fires reduce wildfires, improve habitat
With the volume of rain that has fallen in The T&D Region and around South Carolina, it’s hard to think of wildfires as much of a risk just now. Things will change.
Wildfires are not unusual this time of year in a state rich in woodlands. We lose thousands of acres of forest annually to fire.
It doesn’t have to be.
That’s the message from Gov. Henry McMaster and South Carolina experts. The governor has proclaimed March 2020 Prescribed Fire Awareness Month in South Carolina.
A coalition of state, federal and non-governmental land-management organizations under the umbrella of the South Carolina Prescribed Fire Council requested the proclamation to raise awareness of the essential role that fire plays in both the stewardship of our natural resources and the protection of lives and property.
Prescribed, or controlled, burning is the skilled application of fire under planned weather and fuel conditions to achieve specific forest and land management objectives. Controlled burning is an ancient practice, notably used by Native Americans for crop management, insect and pest control and hunting habitat improvement, among other purposes.
The practice continues today under the direction of land managers who understand the appropriate weather conditions, fuel loads and atmospheric conditions for conducting such burns. These carefully applied fires are an important tool to reduce wildfires, enhance wildlife habitat and keep the nearly 13 million acres of forested land in South Carolina healthy and productive.
The fires also help restore and maintain vital habitat for wildlife, including bobwhite quail and other grassland birds, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, gopher tortoises and red-cockaded woodpeckers. Beyond the many wildlife species that require fire-dependent habitat, many plants thrive only in regularly burned forests.
The demise of the longleaf pine forest and associated grasslands, which once made South Carolina one of the best quail-hunting states, is tightly correlated to the decrease in woods burning.
Prescribed fire enhances public safety by reducing or even eliminating fuel loads, thereby making wildfire on that area impossible or unlikely for some time afterward. And wildfires are usually less destructive on areas that have been prescribed burned. Wildfires often either lose intensity or go out when they reach areas that have been prescribed burned.
The message about prescribed fire as one of the best ways to keep Smokey Bear and his associates from being busy fighting catastrophic wildfires is an important one. Support and education are vital.
While prescribed burning cannot stop all wildfires, it is the best management tool available for preventing larger and more frequent outbreaks.
“Prescribed burning is not only the most effective, economical protection against wildfires because it reduces accumulated fuels,” said McMaster in his proclamation, “but it is also a key tool in managing and maintaining the ecological integrity of South Carolina’s woodlands, grasslands, agricultural areas and wildlife habitats.”
Darryl Jones, SCFC forest protection chief, said about 500,000 acres are prescribed-burned every year in South Carolina – most of them on private land – but at least 1 million acres should be burned annually.
“There are so many benefits of prescribed burning,” Jones said. “Not only does it reduce the severity of wildfires, but it also recycles nutrients, stimulates germination of desirable plants, improves wildlife habitat and protects the aesthetic value of our forest lands.”
While prescribed burning will not stop all wildfires, it is the best management tool available for preventing larger and more frequent outbreaks. As unusual as it may seem to the layman, preventing devastating wildfires amounts to fighting fire with fire.
