The N.C. General Assembly passed numerous bills this year that will affect natural resources and conservation on the coast. In the first of a two-part roundup, we take a look at bills dealing with farming, forestry, energy and transportation.
Legislature
CRC: ‘Essentially Out of Business’
The state’s Coastal Resources Commission had to postpone this week’s meeting in Nags Head because it’s still severely shorthanded after the legislature fired most of its members.
State’s Oyster Shell Recycling Ends
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ 10-year-old program to recycle oyster shells into oyster reefs ended earlier this summer after the N.C. General Assembly deleted the program’s money from the state budget.
Commissions Are Out of Business
The state’s environmental commissions couldn’t meet if they had to after the legislature fired most members and replacements have yet to be chosen.
Legislature Wraps Up Session
Terminal groins, landfills and rules were among the handful of remaining environmental laws that moved through the N.C. General Assembly as lawmakers wrap up the session this morning.
Budget Deal Shuffles State Trust Funds
The state budget that will likely be approved by the N.C. General Assembly this week merges the clean water and natural heritage trust funds and replaces all members of regulatory commissions.
Lawmakers Consider Another Rules ‘Reform’ Bill
A bill that would force state agencies to review all rules every 10 years and, say critics, turn an already lengthy rule-making process into a bureaucratic nightmare is one of several key environmental bills left on the table in Raleigh.
Jetty Bill Stuck in State House
Although there have been rumors that a compromise might be in the works, a controversial bill to lift most restrictions on building small jetties along the state’s beaches has not moved out of committee in the N.C. House.
McCrory Objections Slow Landfill Bill
As the N.C. General Assembly enters its waning weeks, movement on a controversial landfill bill passed by the state Senate has slowed considerably in the N.C. House because of objections raised by the McCrory Administration.
Proposed Landfill Bill Generates Concern, Criticism
As the state legislature heads into debate on a new measure that drastically revises the state’s landfill policies, a chorus of voices expresses concern, urges caution.
Jetties, Dumps and Fracking Wells
Those are the environmental bills that are due up next as the N.C. General Assembly enters the last few weeks of its session.
State Senate Takes Ax to Ocracoke Center
North Carolina spent $7 million to renovate an old Coast Guard Station on Ocracoke for the east campus of the N.C. Center for the Advancement of Teaching. Now the Senate wants to shutter the place.
State Could Acquire Oregon Inlet?
The Senate’s proposed budget contains a provision that creates a task force to look into acquiring the notorious inlet in Dare County from the federal government.
Senate Budget Remakes Conservation Funds
The proposed N.C. Senate budget closely mirrors Gov. Pat McCrory’s proposal in terms of overall dollars, but it contains a number of key distinctions in priorities, including a complete overhaul of the state’s conservation trust funds.
Busy Week Ahead at Legislature
Legislators are considering many environmental bills as the so-called “crossover” deadline approaches this week in the N.C. General Assembly. We offer a summary of important bills to help you keep up.
‘Reform’ Bill Could Have Sweeping Effects
The N.C. Senate is considering yet another “regulatory reform” bill that follows similarly named bills of the previous two sessions. The bill would make an array of changes to environmental policy and regulations that could have far-reaching implications.
