House Bill 593 – “Amend Environmental & Other Laws” –  will impair the quality of North Carolina’s water and harm its beautiful beaches. We encourage members of the Senate to vote “No” on this bill.

Before I dive into the specifics of HB 593, let’s talk about how it was introduced. This 14-page bill was made available on Wednesday, 9:00pm: roughly 12 hours before it was scheduled to be heard in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources. Because of the limited time to review and research the multiple provisions, there was not meaningful discourse on the merits and pitfalls of the draft bill. Having only 12 hours to review such a robust piece of legislation is a slap in the face for democracy. Regardless of your political affiliation, we should all advocate for more open and transparent procedures in the General Assembly.

This bill contains several provisions that will negatively impact water quality. It would limit the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s ability to implement stormwater management policies and would relax standards associated with wetland and stream mitigation. Both of these provisions will allow companies to cut corners in keeping North Carolina’s waterways clean, resulting in dirtier water and leaving taxpayers to pick up the bill.

Additionally, HB 593 would eliminate requirements to conduct a compatibility assessment when using beach nourishment. This could have detrimental impacts on our coastal ecosystems and could negatively affect the quality of North Carolina’s beautiful beaches. North Carolina’s coastline is a critical part of the expansive tourism industry, generating  $21.3 billion in revenue and accounting for over 200,000 jobs in 2014 alone. It is mind-boggling that legislators would want to put it at risk.

>While I’m still researching portions of HB 593, such as the aerosolization of landfill leachate, I can assure you that more consideration needs to be put into these regulations. Please vote “No” on HB 593.

Sincerely,

Jesse Way, Stanback Intern
NC League of Conservation Voters