Dear Friends,
Michael is out of the office this week vacationing in Vancouver. I mention this because Senate Bill 76 is currently making its way through the House, and although the PCS does remove a number of harmful provisions from the Senate version, it remains destructive to North Carolina’s environment, ignores the biggest job creators in the industry, and leaves open tough legal issues that may put the state at risk and would certainly eat up time and money as the courts work through the issues. British Columbia, on the other hand, has created over 25,000 jobs in every region of the province (the equivalent of 55,000 NC jobs once population differences are considered) and is on track to be electrically self-sufficient by 2016—all from generating over 93% of its energy from clean or renewable sources.
We have four particular issues with Senate Bill 76 that we urge you all to think about while considering how to vote:
- Fracking poses great threats to public safety and the health of our environment. Disposal of toxic wastewater is of particular concern to both drinking water supplies and coastal tourism.
- North Carolina’s energy and economic future should be focused on clean energy sources, which have already added over 20,000 jobs to the state. Clean energy creates in-state jobs; fracking brings in people from out of state to perform fewer jobs. North Carolinians will not benefit from the few jobs fracking might create.
- The Energy Jobs Council should not be housed within DENR. Tasking a regulatory agency with overseeing a council devoted to promoting a particular subset of an industry creates a powerful conflict of interest.
- As currently written, the Bill allows permits to be issued beginning March 1, 2015, but prevents those permits from taking effect until the legislature takes affirmative action on the matter. This sort of arrangement is incredibly unusual, and would potentially open the state to a large number of lawsuits regarding when those permits vest, what rights they grant, and what remedies are available to permit holders if the legislature changes the rules later on. Senate Bill 76 is sure to create at least one type of job: lawyers.
North Carolina needs to focus on clean energy, proven job creation methods, and transparent and unbiased government offices. Senate Bill 76 does none of those things, and must be opposed.
Other legislation we are keeping an eye on are listed below. Please feel free to contact me with any questions atlogan@nclcv.org, or you can contact Dan at dan@nclcv.org.
Best,
Logan | logan@nclcv.org
OPPOSE
HB74 PERIODIC REVIEW AND EXPIRATION OF RULES
HB94 AMEND ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS | SB112
HB120 BLDING CODES: LOCAL CONSISTENCY/EXEMPT CABLE
HB201 REINSTATE 2009 ENERGY CONSERVATION CODES
HB628 PROTECT/PROMOTE NC LUMBER
HB1011 GOVERNMENT REORGANIZATION AND EFFICIENCY ACT
SB10 GOVERNMENT REORGANIZATION AND EFFICIENCY ACT
SB112 AMEND ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS | HB94
SB151 COASTAL POLICY REFORM ACT OF 2013
SB163 PROTECT LANDOWNERS’ WATER RIGHTS
SB515 JORDAN LAKE WATER QUALITY ACT
SB612 REGULATORY REFORM ACT OF 2013
SB635 TRANSMISSION LINE OWNERSHIP
SB677 CORPORATE INCOME TAX REDUCTION & REFORM
SB710 FAIR SHARE CONTRIBUTION FOR ELECT. VEHICLES
SUPPORT
HB315 PLASTICS LABELING REQUIREMENTS
HB401 EFFICIENT AND AFFORDABLE ENERGY RATES
HB440 NORTH CAROLINA BENEFIT CORPORATION ACT
SB706 EXTEND RENEWABLE ENERGY TAX CREDIT CARRYOVER
HB573 STORMWATER MANAGEMENT FEE USES
The HotList is a weekly email the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters (NCLCV) sends out during session where we talk about relevant legislation and share information on key environmental issues as they come before the General Assembly. While primarily intended for elected representatives, the HotList is also made public to any and all who are concerned about the environment.
