Bill > S0724

This bill requires large commercial data centers in South Carolina that consume three million or more gallons of water monthly to submit an annual water usage report to the Department of Environmental Services by January 31st each year. The bill defines a commercial data center as a facility or group of facilities used primarily for data storage, retrieval, or transmission with a peak energy demand of at least 100 megawatts. The annual report must detail the volume of water used in the previous calendar year, including surface water, groundwater, or other water sources, and include a projection of water usage for the current calendar year. The Department of Environmental Services is authorized to audit these reports with 30 days' notice and can impose significant financial penalties for non-compliance, including a civil fine of up to $10,000 per day for late filing and an additional $10,000 penalty for submitting inaccurate or misleading information. The bill aims to improve transparency and tracking of water consumption by large data center operations in the state and will take effect upon the Governor's approval.

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https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=0724&session=126&summary=B