Republican Supermajority Holds Western North Carolina Relief Hostage By Tying to Political Power-Grab

Raleigh, N.C. – Today, the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters (NCLCV) released the following statement from Dan Crawford, director of governmental relations, in response to Senate Bill 382:

“This bill circumvents the will of North Carolinians who clearly voted to see a change of power at the state level. Instead of respecting the voters’ wishes, this pro-polluting majority seeks to do whatever it takes to keep themselves in power. Republicans would rather play politics than help North Carolinians rebuild after the hurricane. Legislators must quickly reject this blatant power grab and strip the bill of everything except aid to Western North Carolina. Any strings attached to this aid is exploitation during a crisis. If they truly have the courage of their convictions, they should present a stand alone bill for consideration rather than holding Western North Carolina hostage. Republicans already have their claims ready to say Democrats voted against Hurricane relief, when in fact Democrats want more aid and are voting against the power-seeking aspects of the bill.”

“Our organization will continue to stand up against attacks on our democracy because we need a healthy democracy to protect our environment. We will continue to advocate for folks seeking recovery aid from climate disasters, and we will continue to advocate for climate action on the state level.”