The N.C. House this evening (Monday, Nov. 29) gave final legislative approval to H 220, "Choice of Energy Service," which blocks local governments from restricting fracked gas hookups, a useful tool in helping to fight climate change.
The bill would block local governments from banning gas lines to neighborhoods or buildings. Communities across the country have used this option as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, prompting the fracked gas industry to push for similar legislation in at least 14 states.
The bill was first passed by the House in March. The Senate passed an amended version of the bill this afternoon and the House concurred a couple of hours later.
"This bill is worse than a simple overreach by the General Assembly into local government authority," said Cynthia Satterfield, state director of the N.C. Sierra Club. "It strips away an effective option that our communities could employ to take local action on climate change, which poses a significant threat to North Carolinians.
"More than 25 local governments in our state have pledged to hit clean energy targets. This bill panders to the fracked gas industry and throws up an unnecessary roadblock to meeting the state's clean energy goals. We urge Governor Cooper to veto this legislation and free our local leaders to take the steps they deem necessary to protect the communities they serve."