INDIAN LAND, S.C. — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster visited Lancaster County Thursday where he spoke to the Greater Indian Land Chamber of Commerce and toured a new mixed-use commercial development.
After giving the keynote address at Thursday's meeting of the Greater Indian Land Chamber of Commerce, he attended the ribbon-cutting of the CrossRidge Center, a new development in Indian Land along Highway 521 near Indian Land Middle School.
CrossRidge Center is a 120,000 square foot office building on a 190 acre, mix-used development in Indian land. It's part of a project that, when completed, will include several buildings along Highway 521 with 200 acres for a mixed-use community.
During his visit, McMaster said South Carolina's economy is booming, with 60,000 new jobs and $17 billion in capital investments in the state since 2017.
McMaster said the state's budget has a $3 billion surplus, which he hopes to use for investments into roads, water and sewer, and broadband internet.
McMaster’s speech was interrupted by Kerri Bishop, a community advocate who accused the governor of not doing enough to solve the issue with the New Indy plant.
“I’ve tried to get your attention for a long time,” she shouted across the room.
The exchange lasted for several minutes with the governor saying New Indy will have to fix its "mistakes."
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting public feedback on a proposed consent decree and $1.1 million penalty against New-Indy Containerboard for high levels of foul-smelling hydrogen sulfide emissions.
Residents as far away as south Charlotte have complained of bad odors emiting from the facility, located in Catawba,South Carolina.
Contact Indira Eskieva at ieskieva@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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