Don’t forget… the Green Tie Awards Dinner is just a week away, on Tuesday, May 27, in Raleigh. Tickets are still available here: nclcv.org/green-tie2014
Legislative Watch: Weak Coal Ash Bill Needs Major Improvements
Among the highest-profile bills introduced during last week’s opening days of the General Assembly’s 2014 “short” or “budget” session was SB 729, “Governor’s Coal Ash Action Plan”, with Senators Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) and Tom Apodaca (R-Henderson) as primary sponsors.
As the name says, the bill is based on Gov. McCrory’s proposed framework for dealing with the mess of multiple leaking and dangerous coal ash storage pits around our state. And, as observers have noted, the governor’s plan looks suspiciously like Duke Energy’s own proposals.
That’s the bad news–while the proposal includes some positive points, it’s far too weak to ensure the cleanup job our state needs. The good news is that prospects for strengthening it look pretty good.
Some key legislative leaders have indicated that they intend to build on it and go further–and it appears that they’re responding to real constituent outrage in saying so. These include Rep. Mike Hager (R-Rutherford), chair of the House Utilities and Energy Committee, and Sen. Apodaca, chair of the Senate Rules Committee.
Environmental champions like Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford) indicate that they’re prepared to introduce stronger legislation as needed to press for meaningful action. Rep. Chuck McGrady (R-Henderson) predicts action that “will likely require the closing of active coal ash ponds, the dewatering of coal ash ponds, and the closure of all coal ash ponds and pits over the next decade.”
In its form as introduced, SB 729 identifies four coal ash facilities which are to be closed and ash removed. It also brings coal ash under the same solid waste laws that govern municipal trash, meaning that it should have to go to lined landfills or structural fill. Duke Energy would be required to create emergency-action plans for coal ash facilities, and in the case of future ash spills would have to report them to the public within 24 hours.
Environmental advocates agree, however, that the legislation must go much further:
- The other ten coal ash sites must be covered under strong action plans as well.
- The bill needs guidance on how the priority order for closures is to be set, and should set deadlines and timetables for action.
- Dewatering and relocation to lined storage for ash from all existing sites is the way to go. Mere “capping in place” for the current pollution-leaking pits is unacceptable.
- Legislation has to address ongoing ash handling as well, requiring transition to dry ash handling and its disposal in lined facilities.
- Strong requirements must be set on matters like financial responsibility assurances, monitoring and testing requirements, and tough standards for new landfills.
Conservationists and other concerned citizens across the state expect no less than comprehensive action this year to address coal ash pollution.
Other bills and issues we’re watching carefully during the short session include legislation dealing with fracking and other energy exploration issues, legislation dealing with local government environmental rules (including tree-save ordinances), and bills dealing with wetlands protections and wastewater spills. See more details here: Six bills to watch in the 2014 short session.
Coast Watch: Ports Expansion and Forests
A proposal to expand the North Carolina state port facility at Wilmington has implications for the future of North Carolina’s forests.
Multiple citizen environmental groups have called on the Port of Wilmington to hold a public hearing and further environmental review of a proposal to allow development of a wood pellet export facility on state-owned land at the port. The groups are concerned about the encouragement of more production and export of these wood pellets to be burned in European energy-production facilities. Opponents say that demand for the pellets could strip state forests, and their burning will contribute to climate-change pollution. They point out that there are no existing regulations in North Carolina providing for the replanting of forests cleared for pellet production.
In a news release from the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), Dogwood Alliance, and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), SELC’s North Carolina state offices director Derb Carter says, “This project puts the cart before the horse in a major expansion of the wood pellet industry in our state since the state doesn’t yet know what the impact will be on critical forests and wetlands.”
The complete May 13 news release can be accessed here.
Conservationists: Aiden Graham Hired; Mountain Green Groups Merge
Aiden Graham, Field and Mobilization Director: NCLCV has hired Aiden Graham as our new Field and Mobilization Director. Aiden brings a variety of organizing experience to his new job, including work in Durham on increasing access to public transportation, improving public housing, and fighting voter suppression. Past work has also included environmental justice organizing in Boston and LGBTQ youth leadership development across North Carolina. Welcome Aiden!
As Field and Mobilization Director, Aiden will help establish and lead a field program for non-partisan voter mobilization and grassroots advocacy. NCLCV’s program will engage citizens on environmental issues in the context of elections across our state.
Find background on all the staff members of NCLCV here.
Mountain Green Groups Merge: From the mountains comes news that three of our environmental ally groups are merging into one new organization. The Western North Carolina Alliance (WNCA), Environmental and Conservation Organization (ECO), and Jackson-Macon Conservation Alliance have joined together into a new entity to be named later. The new group plans to cover 23 counties of western North Carolina, with offices in Asheville, Boone, Franklin, and Hendersonville. Statements announcing the merger can be found on the three parent groups’ websites, includingWNCA’s site.
Education & Resources: Help Set State Parks Priorities
The N.C. Division of Parks & Recreation is seeking comments now for its survey of public preferences on how state funds should be used in/on our state parks and trails. Questions ask how and why you use our parks now, what kinds of investments you rank highest in parks and trails, and how you would fund them.
The state parks system conducts this survey every five years, and state, federal, and local agencies use the results to guide their planning. The survey this year is open until May 31.
That’s our report for this week.
