The North Carolina General Assembly is ramping up to its return to Raleigh Jan. 10, 2018, with plans to address immediate needs related to GenX and other emerging contaminants.
Legislature
New State Fund to Go Toward Sand Projects
The legislature, in its recent override of Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of House Bill 56, created a new state fund to help local governments pay for beach re-nourishment projects, but where that money will come from remains uncertain.
GenX Battle Expected As Legislature Returns
State lawmakers head back to Raleigh this week with a showdown likely over Gov. Roy Cooper’s recent veto of an environmental bill that included limited funding to address GenX in the Cape Fear River.
GOP Blasts Cooper’s Veto of House Bill 56
Republican legislators called “troubling” Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto Thursday of the wide-ranging environmental bill that included, among other controversial provisions, only local funding to address GenX in Wilmington’s drinking water.
Analysis: Environmental Bills Shaped In Secret
Closed-door negotiations have increasingly become the norm in the North Carolina General Assembly, especially with contentious environmental measures such as the recently passed House Bill 56.
Funds to Address GenX OK’d After Bitter Fight
Funding to address the GenX contamination in the Cape Fear region’s drinking water was approved Thursday as part of a controversial measure that’s been on hold since April.
Legislature Pauses, Environmental Bills Wait
While solar industry changes and a wind project moratorium passed, bills with coastal stormwater changes, the creation of a new fund to pay for beach re-nourishment, new dredging plans and repeal of the plastic bag ban on the Outer Banks remain on the table.
Butler Raises GenX Issue During Budget Talks
New Hanover County’s Rep. Deb Butler pointed to concern about the GenX compound in the Wilmington area’s drinking water supply and DEQ permitting backlogs in a plea to spare the agency from cuts in the budget passed Thursday.
House, Senate Plans Differ on DEQ Cuts
The House and Senate must reconcile policy choices and a $15 million difference in funding for the Department of Environmental Quality as work on a final budget deal begins.
Bag Ban Repeal, Topsail Dune Rule Advance
The Senate has amended a bill that would now, among other things, repeal a longstanding ban on single-use plastic bags on the Outer Banks and address Topsail Beach’s dune-protection efforts.
Senate Plan Targets DEQ Jobs, Wind Projects
The Senate’s 2017-19 spending plan approved Thursday would eliminate 45 Department of Environmental Quality positions and impose a three-year moratorium on wind-energy projects.
Wind Energy, Regulatory Bills Find Support
Amid a hectic rush this week to advance dozens of bills by a critical deadline, state lawmakers solidified support for a wind energy bill and regulatory changes.
Bag Ban Repeal Among Bills on Fast Track
The move is on in the North Carolina General Assembly to advance bills ahead of an important deadline later this week, including measures to repeal the Outer Banks’ ban on plastic bags.
Cape Fear Pollution Fix: Call It a ‘Swamp?’
A plan to address water quality problems in the lower Cape Fear River includes reclassifying the part of the river that flows by Wilmington and the state port as “swamp water.”
Bag Ban Repeal Wrapped Up in Controversy
State legislators’ efforts to repeal a longstanding ban on single-use plastic bags on the Outer Banks have sparked anger among residents and business owners.
Bills to Cut Streams, Shoals Regulations
The Senate and House are finalizing a set of regulatory bills that include provisions to loosen coastal environmental regulations.
