In a flurry of long hours, rushed votes, and some frayed tempers, environmental legislation faced the dreaded “crossover” deadline in the General Assembly. This week in CIB:

• Legislative Watch: Inside Crossover Baseball–Swings, Hits, and Misses
• Nuclear Update: No New Harris Nukes, and Corrosion Shuts One
• Education & Resources: LCV Looking for Organizers
• Conservationists: Green Tie Is Next Week

Legislative Watch: Insider Crossover Baseball–Swings, Hits, and Misses

Each session at the General Assembly there comes a date–a self-imposed legislative deadline–known and dreaded as “crossover”. It’s the date by which non-budget legislation must have been approved by one chamber or the other (House or Senate), or be considered dead for the rest of the two-year session.

Of course, the legislative leadership can always play games with their own rules, and sometimes do. However, they generally avoid violating this one, in order to preserve its value as a motivator against procrastination and endless sessions. A bill can also be technically revived by inserting financial language provisions which make it immune from the crossover deadline. In any event, though, the failure of a bill to make “crossover” provides a strong signal that it lacks sufficient support as of now to move forward.

So, on the environmental front, what are the key bills that survived or failed?

Noteworthy failures include these:

• SB 365 / HB 298, the so-called “Affordable and Reliable Energy Act”, would have killed North Carolina’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (REPS).
• SB 703, “Limit Local Regulation of Outdoor Smoking,” would have repealed or prohibited local laws restricting smoking in outdoor locations like city parks or playgrounds.

It’s certainly nice to get a few victories in the midst of one of the most anti-environmental legislative sessions in state history.

Bad bills which succeeded in beating the crossover deadline by passing at least one chamber include these:

• HB 74, “Periodic Review and Expiration of Rules”, would wipe out or badly weaken most state environmental protection rules by requiring that they be re-approved under processes guaranteed to make approval of strong rules highly unlikely.
• HB 201, “Reinstate 2009 Energy Conservation Codes”, reinstates the old commercial construction energy code, wiping out new building standards which provide greater energy efficiency.
• SB 151, “Coastal Policy Reform Act of 2013,” repeals restrictions on the permitting of “terminal groins”, the oceanfront rock jetties that accelerate beach erosion and damage barrier islands, along with other negative changes to coastal law.
• SB 515, “Jordan Lake Water Quality Act”, repeals the Jordan Lake water quality rules which were established through an extensive, science-backed stakeholder development process.
• SB 612, “Regulatory Reform Act of 2013”, guts the authority of local governments to adopt environmental protections stronger than federal minimums, including repealing existing local laws which do.

These and other bad environmental bills remain a menace to public health and a clean environment in North Carolina. They’ll be fought by NCLCV and allies.

Nuclear Update: No New Harris Nukes, and Corrosion Shuts One

“They kept teasing and talking about it,” anti-nuclear advocate Jim Warren of NC WARN told the press. In the end, however, “All these grand plans for building nuclear stations are going by the wayside.” (McClatchy-Tribune news service, 5/5/13.)

Duke Energy has told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that slow growth in demand for electricity has led it to scrap the renewed plans to add additional nuclear reactors to the Shearon Harris nuclear station in Wake County. Initially announced as a planned four-reactor plant well over a quarter-century ago, Harris has been operating with just one reactor for over two decades. The so-called “nuclear renaissance” had led to renewed hopes by Progress Energy to add more reactors there.

Instead, economic realities slapped down those plans. Nuclear power is just too costly to build, and takes too long. Even natural gas-fired plants are now cheaper and faster, and booming solar energy installations are more nimble and flexible as well.

It’s also well worth noting that renewable energy installations like wind and solar will never have to deal with the type of problem that has just temporarily shut down the sole operating nuclear reactor at Shearon Harris. Specifically, Duke shut down the reactor after discovering a corrosion-related flaw in the reactor vessel head (the lid on the container that prevents superheated, highly pressurized water from escaping the reactor). This part of a reactor is so dangerously radioactive that the necessary repairs must be done by robotics.

Oh, and the flaw has existed since at least spring 2012; it was discovered through a review of ultrasonic data recorded then. As a presidential candidate once said, whoops! The NRC will be asking why it took a year to unveil this very serious problem. For more details, see here.

Education & Resources: LCV Looking for Organizers

Looking for the chance to work directly for the conservation voters movement in North Carolina? This may be your chance.

Terra Strategies is hiring on behalf of the national League of Conservation Voters (LCV) for a large-scale membership mobilization and issue advocacy program in North Carolina. They will be hiring three regional field directors to manage organizers and direct offices in Charlotte, Raleigh and Greensboro/Winston-Salem.

The project needs experienced regional field directors to mobilize LCV members, elevate environmental issues and generate earned media. Regional field directors will manage and train organizers as they engage LCV members as volunteers and activists in issue advocacy, earned media and grassroots lobbying activities. Issue focuses will be on building support for reducing carbon emissions, encouraging executive action to clean up coal fired power plants and raising awareness about the need to address global warming. Successful candidates must have at least three years of community, issue, labor, or political organizing, experience managing staff, fluency in VAN, excellent communication and organizational skills, and must work well in a team. The position requires staff management, reliable transportation and a willingness to work evening and Saturday hours.

Regional field director positions are full-time, salaried and temporary through January 30, 2014. Individuals interested in applying or seeking additional information should send their resume and cover letter to ncterrajobs@terra-strategies.com.

Conservationists: Green Tie Is Next Week

In just one more week, NCLCV will hold its annual Green Tie Awards. As reported last week, the ‘green’ heroes being honored this year are the following:

• Defender of the Environment: Rep. Deborah Ross.
• Senator of the Year: Sen. Dan Blue.
• Representative of the Year: Rep. Susan Fisher.
• Catalyst Award: Sue Sturgis, The Institute for Southern Studies.

Conservationists are encouraged to attend the Green Tie Awards Dinner on May 29 in Raleigh to honor the legislative leaders who are carrying forward the fight for a clean environment. For more information and to register, go here.

That’s our report for this week.