In the spirit of the season, we share with you a Halloween-inspired poem on what took place over the course of 2015 at the NC General Assembly. Warning: what you are about to read make cause you deep frustration, horror, and anger. We encourage you to seek out your voter registration card immediately in preparation for March 2016.

As January 2015 came upon us,
It was time for the long session to start.
Legislators descended upon Raleigh,
Not yet knowing how things would soon fall apart.

Similar to the four years prior,
Our environment came under attack.
Existing laws keeping our air and water clean
Were wiped out with a swift whack.

‘Regulations!’ they cried,
‘Hurt our economy and business community.’
So, of course it makes sense to give polluters who pollute
Complete and total immunity.

In another moment of déjà vu,
The anti-clean energy brigade came out in force,
Claiming renewables hit energy consumers’ wallets,
ALEC talking-points, of course.

Our state’s clean energy sector is thriving,
Creating jobs and bringing investments galore.
But with failing to extend the renewable tax credit,
Small businesses and those they employ may be no more.

Another hot topic: the Clean Power Plan.
How will North Carolina react?
In HB571’s original form, House leaders gave a clear directive:
Hey DENR – you need to act.

But woe to this forward-thinking bill,
After Senator Trudy Wade had her way.
She added language that forbade a plan,
And allow the courts to have the final say.

Even this was too extreme for the NC Senate,
(Which may be hard to believe).
The bill turned into a shadow “plan”
Giving DENR a slight reprieve.

Secretary van der Vaart announced that
He and his agency knew what to do.
His plan would not comply with federal guidelines,
So guess what: North Carolina would have to sue.

Renewable energy? Energy-efficiency?
‘Balderdash’! van der Vaart cried.
Let’s just make our coal plants more efficient.
Even if such an idea is expensive and ultimately contrived.

Back in the halls on Jones Street,
Glimmers of hope started to shine,
A bill to give greater access to solar,
Giving both conservatives and liberals something to pine.

From Representative John Szoka,
the ‘Energy Freedom Act’ came into light,
Emphasizing the need for renewable sources,
Putting our clean energy future in sight.

But this bill faced great opposition –
And you’ll never guess from where?
‘Renewable companies can’t do our job!’
Duke Energy claimed this bill to be unfair.

When it came to the two-year budget,
The NC General Assembly fell into disarray,
Not even good ol’ Governor shaming,
Could save the original due day.

More time couldn’t stop environmental values,
From getting thrown under the bus.
The provisions in the final budget
Should cause all North Carolinians to fuss.

The provision to subsidize fracking,
At the tune of $500k?
Where were groups like AFP this time?
Oh, that’s right – fossil fuel handouts are a-okay.

With the sign of a pen, DENR disappeared,
Now ‘Environmental Quality’ is in its name,
But with all the “fun” programs moved elsewhere,
Legislators can continue the defunding game.

In a surprising last minute move,
The cap on terminal groins was lifted,
Say goodbye to North Carolina’s beautiful beaches,
As the sands of preservation have now been shifted.

As the final budget was signed into law,
The we thought we’d seen the final blows,
But little did we know that our community
Was about to experience serious woes.

House Bill 765 – the Polluter Protection Act,
Came back from the dead,
Bringing the most anti-environmental provisions,
That all North Carolinians should dread.

This bill creates loopholes for polluters,
And makes our streams face great dangers,
Eliminates air quality monitors,
The folks who serve as our ”safe to breathe” rangers.

More bad news for the air we breathe,
Trucks can idle more than they should;
This bill allows for incomplete cleanup of contamination sites,
That means toxins are moving into YOUR neighborhood.

How can our leaders truly believe
That this bill is “clean” and “green”?
If our workforce is sick and our water is ruined,
HB765 is far too extreme.

This matter is no joke,
And it certainly is no treat,
But this anti-environmental agenda in Raleigh,
Feels like it is stuck on repeat.

As Halloween approaches,
We hope you heed this scary story,
If we want to protect what makes NC great,
Demand accountability from Governor McCrory.