Dear Friends,
There seems to be an unpleasant smell coming from the Senate chamber. This could become common in North Carolina if SB 328 passes. The Solid Waste Management Reform Act of 2013 currently sits in the Senate Committee on Finance, and, as you can see below, has many troubling aspects.
- Removes the section allowing DENR to deny permits to solid waste facilities if those facilities will damage ecologically sensitive areas, such as wilderness lands, wildlife refuges, critical fisheries habitat, or cultural sites.
- Drastically reduces the distance that landfills must be from these ecological sensitive places.
- Removes language allowing for environmental justice analyses of cumulative impacts of landfill sites, except where required by federal land, opening the way for disproportionate environmental impacts on minority and low income communities.
- Removes the requirement for an environmental impact study before building a sanitary landfill.
- Allows counties to charge fees on waste imported from other jurisdictions as a source of general revenue, encouraging mass importation of out-of-state trash to make up for statewide budget cuts.
- Eliminates the requirement that permit holders provide financial assurance for reclamation and clean up.
- Leachate lines are no longer required to be cleaned or inspected.
You can see why this bill has us deeply concerned. In addition to SB 328, however, we are also closely watching the budget, as well as legislation such as SB 76, as they make their way through the legislative process.
Other legislation we are keeping an eye on are listed below. Please feel free to contact us with any questions atmichael@nclcv.org and logan@nclcv.org, or you can contact Dan at dan@nclcv.org.
Best,
Michael and Logan | michael@nclcv.org, 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
SB328 SOLID WASTE REFORM ACT OF 2013
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
HB573 STORMWATER MANAGEMENT FEE USES
SB706 EXTEND RENEWABLE ENERGY TAX CREDIT CARRYOVER
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.
