This week, we saw the legislature pass a state budget which was quickly vetoed by Gov. Roy Cooper. His veto message said that the budget should have included more investments in public schools, teacher pay and health care. There may be a long standoff coming between the legislature and the governor over the budget, since there are many areas of disagreement and state law allows the government to keep running on the prior budget.
We also saw several environmental bills move through committees in the rush towards the possible end of the session (or at least a break in session).
Duke Energy bill approved by another House committee
S 559, Storm Securitization/Alt. Rates, was approved by the House Energy and Public Utilities Committee this week. It now has only the House Rules Committee to get through before being voted on by the House; these votes may take place the week after the July 4 holiday. Please thank Reps. Pricey Harrison (D - Greensboro) and John Autry (D - Charlotte) who asked good questions about the bill in committee.
Opportunity for Action
Please reach out to your state representative and ask them to oppose S 559 because the bill would protect the interests of Duke Energy shareholders at the expense of customers. Even if you have done so before, it’s worth calling or emailing again to let them know that the bill is still problematic despite revisions made in the House.
House committee approves Farm Act
S 315, The Farm Act, sponsored by Sens. Brent Jackson (R - Duplin, Johnson, Sampson), Norm Sanderson (R - Carteret, Craven, Pamlico), and Todd Johnson (R - Union) was approved by a House committee on Friday. The bill was revised, including the deletion of two of four problematic provisions: the exemption to odor rules if waste it being stored for energy use and new soil testing requirements for solar farms. While these changes are good news, S 315 still includes two harmful provisions having to do with CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations): a provision to make secret certain Soil and Water Conservation District documents and a provision to allow swine farms to modify waste management systems without installing environmentally superior technology. The bill will next be taken up by the House Judiciary Committee, then House Rules. There is still time to ask your state House member to vote no on the Farm Act.
RDU seeks a special break on riparian buffer rules
Also this week, a new problematic provision was added to an unrelated bill - H 206 Various Transportation Changes. The new section 3 would allow RDU Airport to get a special deal on the Neuse River Basin Riparian Buffer Rules. Airport facilities that would impact less than 150 linear feet of buffer would be exempt from the rules and facilities that impact greater than 150 ft. or one-third of an acre of the riparian buffer would not be required to comply with part of the rules that require a determination of “no practical alternatives”. The News & Observer reported on this here. Please ask your state senator to protect the integrity of our Neuse River buffers by working to remove that section. And please thank Sen. John Alexander (R - Wake) who spoke forcefully against this provision in committee.
Next week, the House will not be in session and the Senate will meet only on Monday and Tuesday because of the Independence Day holiday.