The Raleigh Report
from the office of Representative Marian McLawhorn
September 11, 2009
While the General Assembly faced a daunting challenge this year to balance the state’s budget in the face of plummeting revenue numbers, we still thought it was critical to address important environmental issues facing our state.
The state obviously lacked money to invest in many new initiatives or to even fully fund existing ones, but there were a number of policy matters that we resolved. Some of the highlights of our work on environmental issues in this past session follow.
If you have any questions or if I can be of assistance, please contact me. Thank you as always for your interest in the work of the General Assembly and state government, and thank you for your support.
Environmental Legislation
_ Water quality in Jordan Lake, an important drinking water source for many Triangle-area communities, will be improved under a new state law (S.L. 2009-216). The legislation includes an extended timeline for compliance with rules to clean up Jordan Lake, and retains a vital requirement that local governments in the watershed begin retrofitting existing development to control runoff pollution.
_ A new state law will extend the Legislative Commission on Global Climate Change another year (S.L. 2009-306). The commission was established in 2005 to conduct an in-depth examination of issues related to global climate change. North Carolina is the 24th-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world and is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of sea level rise, with more than 4,000 miles of coastline.
_ An act to reduce plastic and non-recycled paper bags used in three counties on North Carolina’s Outer Banks has been signed into law (S.L. 2009-163). Under the new law, large retailers in Currituck, Dare, and Hyde counties are prohibited from offering plastic bags unless the bag is reusable or used for some unpackaged items, such as fruits and vegetables.
Paper bags could only be substituted for plastic bags if the bag is made of recycled paper. Plastic bags are particularly problematic on the coast where turtles and dolphins mistake them for jelly fish, and they break down into particularly toxic compounds.
_Certain North Carolina dams connected to electric generating facilities would be subject to the Dam Safety Act under a new state law (S.L. 2009-390). The law allows the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources to inspect the structural soundness of coal ash dams. Previously, utility companies submitted their own engineering reports to the state Utilities Commission and were not subject to inspection by an outside entity. The law will also permit an electric public utility that purchases or constructs a carbon offset facility to retain the fuel and fuel-related cost savings resulting from the purchase or construction of the facility under certain conditions.
_ During the last week of session, we approved a law (SL-2009-485) that creates the Mountain Resources Commission. The regional, non-regulatory commission will advise on mountain conservation issues.
_ We established the Sustainable Local Food Policy Council. The law (SL-2009-530) is focused on building a local food economy and promoting sustainable farming practices.
Budget
Despite a grim budget year that forced us to reduce funding for about 75 programs and eliminate five in our Natural and Economic Resources budget, we were able continue to invest some money in environmental programs.
_ $50 million for Clean Water Management Trust Fund after $100 million was taken out early this year to help cover the budget shortfall.
_ $2 million for Farmland Preservation; North Carolina continues to lead the nation in farmland loss.
_ Raised the cap for liability for voluntary cleanup of contaminated sites from $3 million to $5 million. Polluters can avoid much higher clean up costs by agreeing to this voluntary cap.
_We provided $4.9 million for Water Resources Development Projects to pay for the state’s share of the projects. Funds will provide a state match for $57.7 million in federal funds.