COLUMBIA, SC — Standing under an array of solar panels outside a Columbia outfitters store Wednesday, Gov. Nikki Haley praised South Carolina's recent efforts to make power from the sun easier for businesses, utilities and homeowners to use.
Then, she signed a bill loosening restrictions on solar energy that for years have made South Carolina one of the least friendly states in the country for sun power.
"What we had were a lot of barriers -- barriers that stood in our way when it came to solar energy,'' Haley told more than 50 environmentalists, utility representatives and solar energy company executives.