Dear Friends,

We hope that you are staying cool and finding ways to escape the heat. Thank goodness the Legislative Building has air-conditioning as both chambers begin to wrap session up. As the end nears, we are keeping a close eye on events occurring to ensure that no new anti-environmental legislation arises. There are several bills in particular that we are looking out for as the session comes to a close.

• HB 74 “Regulatory Reform Act of 2013” and HB 94 “Amend Environmental Laws 2013” – We are mentioning these together as both received similar changes to their original language in the Senate. Both now remove fiscal note requirements for particular commissions, both eliminate compliance boundary buffer zones and DENR’s power to enforce compliance within the boundary, both repeal the Mountain Resource Planning Act, and both limit DENR’s ability to store and use records of “trade secret” fracking chemicals—endangering the lives of North Carolina citizens in emergencies. HB 74 goes even further than HB 94, however, and also allows rules protecting our environment to periodically expire. Both of these bills are incredibly dangerous to North Carolina and we cannot stress enough our opposition to the Senate changes.
• SB 112 “Create Jobs Through Regulatory Reform” – As noted in last week’s HotList, we are concerned especially with the periodic expiration of rules (also found in HB 74) and the local government preemption sections of this bill. We urge the Senate to vote against concurrence.
• SB 76 “Domestic Energy Jobs Act” – The House and Senate passed different versions of this bill, and it is currently waiting for conference. Both versions had many troubling provisions relating to hydraulic fracturing in North Carolina. We cannot risk our environment and public health by rushing to extract the small amount of natural gas in our state.
• SB 328 “Solid Waste Management Reform Act of 2013” – While this bill passed through the Senate, it has not yet been heard in the House. It would encourage out-of-state trash to be dumped into North Carolina, and many environmental safeguards to protect the state are being neglected.
• SB 515 “Jordan Lake Water Quality Act” – The latest version of this bill would delay unimplemented portions of the rules for an additional three years. It would also allocate a significant portion of the underfunded Clean Water Management Trust Fund to a new technology to clean up the lake.

We are also on the lookout for any bills or issues that have been lying dormant to reappear. Below is an updated list of legislation that we oppose or support. As always, feel free to e-mail us at logan@nclcv.org, michael@nclcv.org, ordan@nclcv.org with any questions.

Best,
Michael and Logan | michael@nclcv.org, logan@nclcv.org

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OPPOSE

HB74 PERIODIC REVIEW AND EXPIRATION OF RULES

HB94 AMEND ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS | SB112

HB201 REINSTATE 2009 ENERGY CONSERVATION CODES

HB1011 GOVERNMENT REORGANIZATION AND EFFICIENCY ACT

SB76 DOMESTIC ENERGY JOBS ACT

SB112 CREATE JOBS THROUGH REGULATORY REFORM | 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

SB677 CORPORATE INCOME TAX REDUCTION & REFORM

SB710 FAIR SHARE CONTRIBUTION FOR ELECT. VEHICLES

SUPPORT

HB401 EFFICIENT AND AFFORDABLE ENERGY RATES

HB440 NORTH CAROLINA BENEFIT CORPORATION ACT

HB573 STORMWATER MANAGEMENT FEE USES

SB652 SMART GRID TAX CREDIT

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.