The State Senate votes to shred key clean water strategies, while an important statewide primary election is about to conclude. This week in CIB:
Legislative Watch: Senate Budget Rider Smacks Clean Water
Pass the mussels?
So says the NC Senate. Throw out the real clean water plans (again) and bring in another eye-rolling gimmick to take the place of the failed SolarBee water-stirrers. So shellfish filter water, right? Hey! Let’s plant a bunch of freshwater mussels to see if they’ll clean up all the pollution we’re dumping in Jordan and Falls lakes. Of course, seafood is an expensive menu item, so let’s tap the Clean Water Management Trust Fund (CWMTF) for $500,000 to cover this one.
Groan.
They’re up to their usual bad budget tricks on the state Senate side again this year. When the Senate leadership’s version of the year’s budget adjustments bill hit the floor last week, it contained another bad combination of special provisions that would again slam clean water in our state. The big mussels cleanup ‘strategy’ cited above is just the insult.
The injury which precedes it is the rest of the special provision, which completely blocks implementation of the real Jordan and Falls lakes cleanup rules until 2020 and thereafter repeals them. It also repeals riparian buffer protections in the Catawba River basin, as well as Randleman Reservoir protection rules, and nutrient management strategies for the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico estuaries. (Details are explained here.)
In other words, it represents a slashing attack on our state’s clean water strategies from the mountains to the sea. The budget bill containing this travesty passed the Senate by votes of 33-15. Senator Mike Woodard (D-Durham) attempted to amend the bill on the floor to delete the damaging water quality provisions, but without success.
The only good news about this item is that the damage isn’t final, yet. The Senate’s version of the budget must go back to the House. It is anticipated that the House will reject the Senate’s version, sending their competing budget bills to a conference committee. Conservationists will continue the fight for clean water in that process.
Campaign Watch: Supreme Court Showdown
North Carolina’s special statewide primary election concludes tomorrow, Tuesday, June 7. If you haven’t voted yet, don’t miss this chance to impact a key statewide contest, as well as Congressional primaries in many areas.
Supreme Court primary: Statewide, voters tomorrow will select the final contenders for one seat on the NC Supreme Court. Among the contenders are an incumbent backed by big spending from the NC Chamber of Commerce and a challenger backed by the NC Chapter of the Sierra Club.
Many observers of the Court believe that the single seat up for grabs this year will be a swing vote on a range of key policy issues which come before the seven-member Court. Those include critical environmental questions, from the interpretation of state statutes to hearing challenged rules and case decisions from the NC Utilities Commission and NC Environmental Management Commission.
The NC Chapter of the Sierra Club has endorsed challenger Superior Court Judge Michael Morgan in this contest. Meanwhile, the NC Chamber of Commerce has intervened with a late “independent expenditure” ad buy worth $450,000 on behalf of the incumbent, Justice Bob Edmunds.
While NCLCV has not made endorsements in judicial contests, we recognize their central importance to good government. We urge advocates for our environment to review the candidates and vote. Big money should not be allowed to buy our courts.
Click here for more information on the candidates and how they fit into the state’s broader political currents.
Congressional primaries: The national League of Conservation Voters (LCV) has weighed in on two of the June 7 Congressional primaries.
In the Democratic primary for the 12th District, LCV Action Fund has endorsed incumbent Rep. Alma Adams. Adams scored a 97% positive rating on the LCV National Environmental Scorecard for her first year in Congress, and consistently supported clean energy, public health protections, and action to address climate change.
In the Republican primary for the 13th District, LCV Action Fund this week announced its endorsement of Jason Walser, the former executive director for the Land Trust for Central North Carolina.
“Jason Walser is an exciting, pragmatic and commonsense voice for North Carolina’s environment and we are thrilled to support him in this important election,” said LCV Action Fund Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld. “He has already made an enormous impact on protecting central North Carolina’s special places for future generations, and we are excited by what he can accomplish in Congress for conservation and growing our clean energy economy.”
“From our beaches to the Piedmont to our western mountains, our state has so many beautiful open spaces and natural wonders,” said NCLCV Director of Government Relations Dan Crawford. “Jason Walser has been a true leader in protecting our North Carolina way of life, and ensuring that all families across our state continue to have access to our public lands, lakes and rivers. Because of his efforts, many natural treasures will still be here for our children and grandchildren.”
Wherever you live in North Carolina, don’t forget to vote for the environment.
