WE DID IT!!
Governor Cooper wasted no time in vetoing H198, DOT Legislative Changes, which included billboard industry-friendly expansion of tree-cutting rules around outdoor advertising. Thank you to all of you who joined us in demanding this veto!
The recap: H198 is a standard agency-driven measure to update a variety of transportation laws. But it includes a section that would greatly expand the tree-cutting zones around highway billboards, and remove native redbuds that are explicitly protected (along with dogwoods) under current law. The House passed the bill last year and, on Wednesday, concurred with Senate changes.
Immediately after the House vote, we released an action alert to all North Carolina members and supporters, asking them to write to Cooper and request a veto. Nearly 300 people responded, including some of you – thank you!
On Thursday morning, Chapter Acting Director Erin Carey sent a veto request on behalf of the Chapter and our allies at NC Conservation Network, Scenic NC, Southern Environmental Law Center, Natural Resources Defense Council, and NC League of Conservation Voters.
A short time later, Cooper vetoed it, saying, "North Carolina's scenic landscapes are one of the reasons why our state just broke records with our tourism economy, and why we have one of the most beautiful places in the world to live."
Agency bills like this one are usually a slam-dunk for approval. This outcome proves that our unified advocacy provides not only the voice of reason, but support that a government leader needs to defy expectations when it's in the best interest of our environment and all who live in it.
Upcoming:
It's bill-gutting season! Time for legislative leaders to take benign measures and rewrite them to push through policies that didn't survive last year's "long session," or are new proposals. Here are a couple we're watching:
H385, Regulation of Battery Charged Security Fences, was a House-passed bill regulating battery-controlled electric fences. It's making its way through the Senate now, where we expect it to become a bill about "various energy and environmental changes." Of particular concern is a proposed section on 401 certifications for projects related to the distribution of transmission of energy or fuel, which requires DEQ permitting to meet certain shortened timeframes and restrictions on the agency adding specific requirements to the permit. There is also a proposal to add a section requiring the Coastal Resources Commission to allow dock and walkway rebuilding (and 5% enlargement) without a permit. We will support DEQ’s efforts to fight these changes.
We're expecting the House to release a draft next week of this year’s "Farm Act" as a substitute for S355, currently titled "Clarify Definition/Property-Hauling Vehicles." The more-or-less annual Farm Act has often included sections with potential threats to the environment, so we'll keep an eye on it and share details when we get them.