EDITORIAL: Keep a keen eye on the landfill issue

At last weeks special meeting of the Williamsburg County Council, officials were briefed on several disposal options for the county’s solid waste. While The Weekly Observer has does not hold an opinion on which option it feels holds the most promise, there is another matter the requires equal consideration and deliberation. Whatever decision the council reaches has a good chance of significantly shaping the effect environmental politics has on the region as a whole. 

The solid waste issue has proven to be an important one for residents of Williamsburg County— and the rest of the state for that matter. Citizens and special interest groups have been very successful in voicing their opinions and marketing their agendas regarding all matters of environmental conservation. The recent decision from Santee Electric to not pursue their new coal plant in the region, obviously influenced by pressure from the aforementioned citizens and groups, illustrates perhaps a growing impact environmental concerns are having in shaping the dynamic, political and otherwise, of South Carolina.

Keeping that fact in mind, whatever the councilmen decided will have an interesting effect on the attention paid to groups like the Coastal Conservation League, whose representative, director Nancy Cave, showed an inspiring level of prudence with her comments following the special session, reminding readers that all possible solutions should be considered.
However, while the ideas of conservation groups and various coalitions should be considered when making these decisions, members of the council will be faced with the task of processing the evidence before them and reaching a defendable solution. Their decision should be made when they feel all possible options have been presented and all avenues explored. Should the council appear hasty in its judgment, the ramifications may not only be felt in the ballot boxes of Williamsburg County, but the entire state of South Carolina.