Santee Cooper and National Audubon Society Announce Agreement on Transmission Line Span Through Beidler Forest

Santee Cooper and National Audubon Society Announce Agreement on Transmission Line Span Through Beidler Forest

Posted September 2, 2025 | Media Contact

CHARLESTON, S.C. - On August 29, Santee Cooper and the National Audubon Society filed a Stipulation with the Public Service Commission of South Carolina regarding a 1.5-mile span of the proposed 21.5-mile Wassamassaw-Indian Field 230kV transmission project that traverses the Francis Beidler Forest on an existing right of way.

The parties negotiated in good faith and collectively agreed to a resolution to use the existing right of way through Beidler Forest.

Consistent with its application and testimony filed at the Public Service Commission, Santee Cooper will replace the 50-year-old transmission poles currently supporting a 115-kV line through the Forest with a new row of structures installed in the center of the existing right of way, farther from the original growth forest. In addition to carrying the existing 115-kV line, the new structures will also support a new 230-kV line to meet the area's growing energy needs.

In addition, this agreement:

• Protects healthy trees in the original growth forest, while establishing a process for Audubon to contest any initial determination by Santee Cooper to remove or prune diseased, dead or leaning trees outside the right of way that may pose a risk to the transmission line;
• Commits Santee Cooper to follow best practices from the Department of Natural Resources to protect certain threatened species;
• Supports the creation of a new pollinator garden in the right of way, which will provide habitat and food for wildlife in Beidler Forest and reduce Santee Cooper's need to use herbicides to control vegetation;
• Restores four acres of hardwood in Beidler Forest's Pine Bluff parcel, with Santee Cooper purchasing seedlings for the work; and
• Permits Audubon to plant and maintain low-growing native vegetation in the re-cleared area consistent with existing Santee Cooper procedures.

QUOTES:

"Santee Cooper has maintained a transmission corridor here since the 1940s and has collaborated with Audubon Society since the 1970s, when Audubon took ownership of the Forest. Santee Cooper has already contracted with a third-party environmental consultant to be onsite during construction and ensure we are working within all regulatory requirements protecting the property. Beidler Forest is a beautiful cypress-tupelo swamp forest, with spectacular old-growth trees and native plants that support numerous bird and other wildlife species. Santee Cooper's plans will not change that."

- Jimmy Staton, President and CEO, Santee Cooper

"Francis Beidler Forest is a nationally and internationally recognized resource, is treasured by the wildlife that call it home, visitors who explore its ancient forest, and nearby communities that benefit from its conservation. Audubon, in partnership with the Southern Environmental Law Center, is glad to have reached an agreement that protects the Forest from direct impacts, while allowing Santee Cooper to support the growth of the Lowcountry.

- Rebecca Haynes, National Audubon Society Vice President and Audubon South Carolina Executive Director

###

Media Contacts:

• Mollie Gore, Santee Cooper, 843-312-8549, [email protected]
• Rachel Chu, Southern Environmental Law Center (representing Audubon), 843-619-4617, [email protected]

The National Audubon Society is a leading nonprofit conservation organization with 120 years of science-based, community-driven impact, dedicated to protecting birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Birds are powerful indicators of our planet's health, acting as sentinels that warn us of environmental change and inspire action. Audubon works across the Western Hemisphere, driven by the understanding that what is good for birds is good for the planet. Through a collaborative, bipartisan approach across habitats, borders, and the political spectrum, Audubon drives meaningful and lasting conservation outcomes. With 800 staff and over 1.9 million supporters, Audubon is a dynamic and ever-growing force committed to ensuring a better planet for both birds and people for generations to come. Audubon.org