RALEIGH – Last evening, more than 200 supporters of clean air, clean water, and clean energy came together in downtown Raleigh for the 2015 Green Tie Awards hosted by the NC League of Conservation Voters. Now in its ninth year, the annual Green Tie Awards honors elected officials and key North Carolinians who champion pro-conservation values to make the state a better place to live.
Attorney General Roy Cooper served as the event’s keynote speaker. A recipient of NCLCV’s Catalyst Award at the 2009 Green Tie Awards dinner, Attorney General Cooper touched on how far North Carolina has come in protecting the places and people who call the state home – and noted how far we still have to go in promoting pro-conservation policies.
“Our state had made such great strides in cleaning up our air and water by holding polluters accountable, whether it was large entities like Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) or hog operators in the eastern part of North Carolina. Unfortunately, we’re seeing these efforts slowly chipped away by the anti-environmental agenda coming from the Governor’s office and General Assembly. These rollbacks on sound environmental policies not only put the health and safety of our natural resources in jeopardy, but they also put our communities, our workforce, and our children at risk, today and continuing in the future.” Cooper stated.
This year’s slate of Green Tie Award recipients includes four freshman legislators who championed key environmental issues that impact the lives of millions of North Carolinians. From cleaning up coal ash to demanding strong rules governing hydraulic fracturing (fracking), they spoke out for their constituents by advocating for policies that promoted clean air, water, and land. Senators Jeff Jackson and Terry Van Duyn and Representatives Graig Meyer and Robert Reives II received recognition as Rising Stars within the General Assembly. Several attempted to add the coal ash ponds located in their districts to the high priority list during the Coal Ash Management legislative debate last year.
Representative Joe Sam Queen, a vocal opponent of fracking, received NCLCV’s 2015 Representative of the Year award. While representing the western parts of North Carolina, Rep. Queen has continued to highlight the consequences fracking would have on the health and safety of all North Carolina communities.
Several other award categories, including Senator of the Year and Defender of the Environment, were notably absent from this year’s Green Tie Awards. This is due in large part to the rising tide of anti-environmental legislation finding its way through the NC General Assembly.
“With the continued attacks on long-standing sound environmental policies, we at NCLCV feel that our past and current Green Tie recipients deserve to be called Defenders of the Environment,” said Dan Crawford, Director of Governmental Relations with NCLCV. “Despite the odds, our legislative allies are working tirelessly to pass bills that promote clean air and water and not allow corporate polluters to put their profits over the good people of this state.”
The 2015 legislative session has been no different for North Carolina’s environmental protections. With legislation to freeze the state’s successful Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio (REPS), eliminate riparian buffers designed to naturally filter local drinking water supplies, and additional budgetary cuts to the state’s environmental regulatory program, the people and natural resources of this state need far more, not fewer, champions in Raleigh.
“If we fail in protecting our environment and communities now,” noted Attorney General Cooper, ”future generations of North Carolinians will be robbed of the beauty and splendor our mountains, oceans, and open spaces have offered so many of us. It’s time to see a change in how we treat these once-in-a-lifetime resources.”
NC League of Conservation Voters is a statewide lobbying organization dedicated to protecting, preserving, and enhancing North Carolina’s natural environment. NCLCV has been working to protect North Carolina’s environment and our citizen’s health for over 45 years, turning environmental values into North Carolina priorities. NCLCV’s vision for the future of North Carolina is that all citizens and our elected decision-makers will better understand and appreciate North Carolina’s unique natural environment, and the integral role it plays in North Carolina’s economy and quality of life. Visit nclcv.org for more information.
