Mallory Dittmer, Democratic Nominee for the 5th Congressional District, today affirmed her support of the Fort Mill School District (FMSD) School Board’s decision last Friday to seek a formal role in litigation between York County and the Silfab Solar manufacturing company. FMSD wants to ensure that the interests of its students, teachers, staff and families are adequately represented and that the District’s health and safety concerns are heard by the Circuit Court.
“The Silfab project should never have been approved for this location, a fact the Court affirmed this past July” Dittmer said. “The critical question now is how to move forward with an absolute priority placed on protecting the health and safety of those living and working in closest proximity to the plant. The school district must have a seat at the table in every aspect of this litigation.”
The main issue in the dispute is whether York County should allow Silfab Solar to continue manufacturing solar panels at the facility despite the Circuit Court’s ruling that the site’s light industrial zoning does not permit Silfab to operate at that location. Safety concerns came to a head in March of 2026 following two toxic chemical leaks from the plant that shut down nearby Flint Hill Elementary for two days. Though no threat to public safety was cited, regulators shut down the plant’s chemical-based operations pending further review.
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Patrick Byrne lives in Tega Cay with his wife and two daughters. After 25 years working for a Big 4 bank, he retired to pursue his passion for writing. Additional articles and content can be found on his blog (reverian1776.blogspot.com) and freethepeople.org.
