Debate over whether to consider amendments that would lift congressional restrictions on development of natural gas and oil resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) recently stalled energy and appropriations legislation. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd postponed a mark-up of the Interior Appropriations bill citing the compressed legislative calendar leading to the August recess. Hill skeptics, however, believe that anxieties over a showdown related to the offering of an OCS amendment drafted by Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Kit Bond caused Senate leaders to postpone the committee meeting. Meanwhile, Senate Energy Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman and other senators continue to work on compromise energy legislation that is expected to focus on conservation and domestic access issues to move the issue forward before the end of the year.

Legislative leaders recently announced a job creation plan outline that calls for the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) to act as a facilitator and guide in expanding South Carolina's knowledge-based economy by creating a Knowledge Sector Council. The plan combines past legislative efforts with an outline of future collaborative execution and focuses on three key sectors - manufacturing, distribution and services, tourism and the knowledge economy. To learn more about the Knowledge Sector Council's plan, view (PDF) the South Carolina knowledge economy strategic framework. View the full release.

Session two of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce's new media and converging communications workshops will be held this Thursday, August 14. Courses will be held in Columbia at Newsplex, the University of South Carolina's newsroom of the future. Session two will cover integrating video into everyday communications activities. It's not too late to sign up for an upcoming course. View the registration form.

The Lowcountry Membership and Legislative Reception will be held Thursday, August 21 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston. Complimentary for South Carolina Chamber of Commerce members, the reception will allow you to network with numerous business leaders and legislators. This marks the last Membership and Legislative Reception of the summer, so make plans to attend.

Time is running out to register for Module 3 of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce's HR Institute Certificate Series, which will be held next week. Level 1 (PDF) of Module 3 will cover several pertinent and timely topics, including workplace harassment, employment agreements, diversity and immigration, while the second day covers employee agreements and diversity. Level 2 (PDF) will begin with compensation and benefit design and conclude with business ethics. Module 4 will begin in September, so register now.

Don't miss the leadership training many businesses have called life-changing - Positive Management Leadership training. Offered by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and PML Programs LLC, the training seminar will be held October 6-8. Designed for managers, supervisors, human resources professionals and anyone in a leadership role within an organization, these courses will improve your business' management processes. Register (PDF) today.

Do you know any companies or organizations that have made significant contributions to moving South Carolina forward in diversity initiatives? For the fourth consecutive year, the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and the South Carolina Diversity Council will recognize the state's top companies in the field of diversity with the 4th Annual South Carolina Excellence in Workplace Diversity Awards. There are several new and exciting changes to the nomination and selection process for this year's awards. To make the process more efficient, all nominations will be submitted electronically by fax, email or CD. In addition, once the nomination process is complete, all companies will be divided into three categories (small, medium, large) based on the number of employees. Download the application (PDF). The deadline to apply is September 19.