“So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it. Thank you.”

Thank you, Mr. Wonka, for helping us start off this third week in January when we look ahead to what may be in store for our environment from the NC General Assembly. Because –

Tomorrow, the 2015 legislative session officially starts. Most of the events will be more pomp and circumstance, including a couple of likely shoo-in elections for new leadership. In the NC Senate, the majority Republican caucus selected 2014 Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger of Rockingham County to hold the seat again. Over in the House, Representative Tim Moore is the leading candidate to take the helm as Speaker, now that former Speaker Thom Tillis has taken his official seat in the U.S. Senate. Actual work in Raleigh will begin at the end of the month. There’s a lot on the legislative agenda, both here in North Carolina and in Washington D.C. Let’s start at what the federal government has in store for the environment nationally in 2015.

From D.C. to Raleigh

We’ve made it through an election where the Republican party now has the majority in both houses of Congress. Will the shift at the federal level impact our environmental priorities here in NC? Unfortunately, the answer is a likely yes – and, not in a good way. Here’s a rundown from Dan Besse, editor of our Conservation Insider Bulletin:

With both chambers of Congress in the hands of actively anti-environmental leadership for the next two years, what was once largely irrelevant sound and fury from the U.S. House is now cause for new concern. Conservationists can no longer count on help from the Senate to bury the worst outrages moving forward from the larger chamber.

Thus, it’s noteworthy to observe that one of the House’s most relevant committees has been reorganized under hostile new leadership. That committee is the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. This is the board tasked with peering into the doings of agencies within the executive branch, in theory to determine whether they’re addressing issues according to standing law and proper procedure. Signals from that committee’s new leadership make clear that it is being especially charged with going after pro-environmental initiatives from the Obama Administration.

The Oversight committee will have a special subcommittee set up to focus on attempting to delay, undermine, and block positive regulatory initiatives (and existing programs) within the Environmental Protection Agency and other natural resource management agencies. Since those executive branch agencies are likely to be the only game in town for environmental progress from Washington over the next two years, this is a meaningful threat to be watched.

Meanwhile, back at the NCGA

We’re expecting some of our environmental greatest hits from 2013 and 2014 to resurface at the General Assembly during the session. Here are three additional topics we’re anticipating legislative movement on (and where we can have a positive impact on behalf of our state’s natural resources!):

Energy: Can you feel it? It’s electric! Or solar. Energy is not only a hot topic at the national level but remains in the headlines in North Carolina. We could write an entire blog post on all the different nuances of our state’s current (and future) energy policies. For today, let’s look at two juxtaposing positions on where our energy could come from:

First, WUNC reporter Dave Dewitt points out the impending expiration for solar tax credits. Our state’s solar business has been booming over the last three years. A major part of solar’s success stems from the 35% tax credit. Will elected officials continue to offer this economic incentive, which has brought thousands of jobs and major financial investment to NC?

Second, despite trying to hide behind closed doors, Governor McCrory and his “friends” offshore drilling plans may take more shape this year. Any action for offshore drilling is still years away, but as we all know, once plans start to go motion, it can be hard to slow them down. News & Observer reporter Craig Jarvis noted that Gov. McCrory “wants to reconsider how any revenue-sharing that might happen is divided to help pay for such needs in North Carolina as education, infrastructure and research.” Specifically, the Governor wants a larger portion of revenue to help the coastal areas, which continue to battle with the contentious topics of dredging and beach re-nourishment. Will there be a line item for cleanup efforts to counter the consequences of offshore drilling? Only time will tell.

Fracking: Now that the Mining and Energy Commission (MEC) has finalized its rules on fracking, legislators will get to take the next step on how (if?) this energy extraction process moves forward. Despite some shifts in the national landscape on fracking (New York’s ban, the decline in oil prices), we expect the General Assembly as a whole to let the MEC’s rules move forward. That’s primarily because holding them up for a hard look could postpone the date by which the state is ready to theoretically issue those first permits for fracking exploration.

In fact, North Carolina’s limited prospective gas reserves, together with the supply glut that’s axed oil and gas price levels, makes it look unlikely that the oil/gas industry will be beating down Tar Heel doors for permits this year. Nonetheless, such reality checks haven’t notably dampened the enthusiasm of state fracking supporters yet. While the MEC has done due diligence in strengthening some of the rules, particularly governing the permitting process, there are still too many loopholes that put our environment and the public’s health at risk.

Hog waste: Something stinks, and it’s not just that fruitcake hiding in the back of your refrigerator (we know it’s there). Let’s again turn to CIB editor Dan Besse on his projections for how this pungent problem may unfold:

What’s happened over the two decades since passage of new rules on factory-style hog farms helped to halt the opening of new swine CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) in North Carolina? According to hundreds of plaintiffs in dozens of lawsuits now pending in federal court, not nearly enough. Claimants assert that the stench of existing open-pit hog lagoons, sprayfields, and tightly-packed growing houses continues to sicken them and slash their property values.

Now, says the article from the Charlotte Observer’s environmental reporter Bruce Henderson, new litigation is pending to attempt to force progress on the issue. In addition to the private lawsuits against one major pork producer (Murphy-Brown LLC), advocacy groups have filed an environmental justice claim against the Environmental Protection Agency for lax standards.

This list is just the tip of the iceberg for what we expect to see over the next few months. Are there particular environmental issues you will be watching closely? Coal ash? Air quality? Factory farming? Let us know what matters to you. Tell us on Facebook, <a “=”” href=”http://www.twitter.com/NCLCV”>tweet at us, email us at info@nclcv.org, or leave a comment below!