COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina’s state-owned utility appears to have survived four years of turmoil to remain public. The South Carolina House and Senate both unanimously approved an overhaul bill Tuesday that did not include selling Santee Cooper to a private company. The utility’s future has been uncertain since July 2017, when construction of a pair of nuclear reactors in which the utility was a minority partner stopped before completion, leaving the company billions of dollars in debt. The bill heads to Gov. Henry McMaster’s desk. He says he wants to read it before deciding whether to sign it. But the measure gained enough votes in the House and Senate to make it veto-proof.
