Reform.

A bold, actionable term that inspires a sense of accomplishment and progress. Yes! We can improve and build out something more efficient and shiny.

For the NC General Assembly, “regulatory reform” is thrown out to distract our attention as leaders seek to dismantle critical environmental and public health safeguards.

Is all “regulatory reform” bad? Absolutely not. Cut that red tape! We applaud efforts to enact more transparency; to eliminate unnecessary reporting processes; or to clarify ambiguous statutes for the benefit of all constituents.

Herein lies the problem: the goals set out in these “reform” measures aren’t typically for the benefit of all, but for the benefit of a few. When legislators propose reform that undermines policies that protect residential drinking water supplies, create jobs and environmental benefit from recycling electronic waste, or decrease the reliance on dangerous fossil fuels, they aren’t representing their voters. They are heeding the call of special interest groups who are attempting to circumvent the rules in order to protect their bottom lines. We are the ones who have to reap the negative impacts.

Right now, there are two “regulatory reform” bills moving in the General Assembly. House Bill 169 – the “Regulatory Reduction Act of 2016” – includes a provision to repeal our state’s successful e-recycling program and another that would limit the power for state agency’s to create laws protecting the health and safety of citizens for projects costing more than $10 million. Instead, the state legislature would get to write those rules (insert a big ‘yikes’ here). Over in the NC Senate, we’ve seen the emergence of Senate Bill 303 – “Regulatory Reform Act of 2016” – that would essentially hand a veto power to the NC Department of Military and Veterans Affairs for wind energy projects in our state.  Additionally, SB303 adds more hoops for renewable energy companies to jump through in order to bring clean, sustainable electricity to NC families. Does that sound like reform to you? Us neither.

In past legislative sessions, we have seen many dubious “reform” bills take shape. This bills have attacked our state’s riparian buffers (nature’s way of filtering out pollution from water sources and ecosystems); limited local governments from passing from stringent environmental protections; eliminated non-EPA required air quality monitors; granted companies the right to “self-report” environmental damage; and sought to scale back NC’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio standards. In fact, those “lowlights” were only from three bills introduced and/or passed in 2015. And for the past four years, we’ve seen these bills containing similar anti-conservation provisions appear again and again.

Our call to action: look under the hood any time a “reform” bill emerges from the halls of Raleigh. Some are more innocuous than others. But far too often, as recent history proves, there is malicious intent that goes far beyond “reform” and ends up looking like “regret.”