Conservation Insider Bulletin, CCNC

Conservation Insider Bulletin
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
February 13, 2009

What's green in the stimulus? We may have that answer, plus more news, this week in CIB:

National environmental advocates are praising the reported results of the House-Senate conference committee compromise on the stimulus package, reached surprisingly swiftly this week. As environmentalists had hoped from the start, the huge economy-boosting spending bill includes "game-changing" appropriations for energy efficiency and renewable energy development, and a big fiscal shot for public transit as well.

In the legislative process, it's always dangerous to count one's dollars before the final signature is attached. As a consequence, this week's report comes with the caveat that the proposal must pass final votes in the House and Senate (and get the president's signature, which in this case is assured) before it is truly a done deal. With that caution, however, it appears that we now know the major components of the legislation.

In a statement released 2/12/09, League of Conservation Voters president Gene Karpinski praised the bill's contents, as reported based on conference committee deliberations. He said that it appeared that the conference report "kept the best aspects of the House and Senate versions of the bill. Tens of billions of dollars for clean energy, energy efficiency, public transportation, scientific research and a smart energy grid remain. Tens of billions set to be wasted on coal and other outdated energy sources were removed."

Karpinski also said, "As the first act of a new Congress to promote clean energy and reduce global warming pollution, this bill bodes well for the future."

The positive analysis by Karpinski and other environmental advocates is based on an understanding that the compromise bill retains over $28 billion for a series of major renewable energy and energy efficiency programs and initiatives, plus over $17 billion for rail and other public transit initiatives. Apparently axed during conference negotiations was a Senate proposal to throw $50 billion in loan guarantees at nuclear and coal power development. Again, we'll hold our final judgment until the ink is dry on the president's signature, but if these reports turn out to be accurate, we'll join in pronouncing this to be a green stimulus.

Legislative Watch: House Environmental Committees: Signup for Hot List

House Environmental Committees: Last week we reported on key Senate committee leadership. This week, it's the House's turn. As one might expect from the larger chamber, there are more committees of interest, including some newly created ones. Under Speaker Joe Hackney, there are now eight committees in need of note from an environmental basis:

--Two are Appropriations Subcommittees: Natural and Economic Resources, and Transportation. NER is co-chaired by Reps. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford), Garland Pierce (D-Scotland), and Edith Warren (D-Pitt). Transportation is co-chaired by Reps. Nelson Cole (D-Rockingham) and Grier Martin (D-Wake). This puts two particularly strong environmental legislators (Harrison and Martin) at the head of the two key appropriations subcommittees in the House.

--Six other committees are general subject-area jurisdiction entities: Energy and Energy Efficiency, Environment and Natural Resources, Marine Resources and Aquaculture, Transportation, and Water Resources and Infrastructure. We won't attempt to lay out in this edition a comprehensive listing of the designated leaders, but here are some items of note. Rep. Angela Bryant (D-Nash) is the new chair of Energy, taking over from Pricey Harrison. Rep. Becky Carney (D-Mecklenburg) chairs Transportation—which may be significant in placing a representative of the state's only (so far) county with light rail in legislative transportation leadership. Rep. Cullie Tarleton (D-Watauga) chairs the newly created Water Resources and Infrastructure committee, and Rep. Lucy Allen (D-Franklin) chairs the Environment and Natural Resources committee.

For a complete listing of the chairs, vice chairs, and members of all House committees, you can go to http://projects.newsobserver.com/sites/projects.newsobserver.com/files/house-committees-2009.pdf and see where your representative sits.

To recap from last week, key Senate chairs are the following: Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources—Bob Atwater (D-Chatham); Transportation—Larry Shaw (D-Cumberland); Energy, Science, and Technology—Katie Dorsett (D-Guilford) and Joe Sam Queen (D-Haywood); Appropriations—Linda Garrou (D-Forsyth), Charlie Albertson (D-Duplin), A.B. Swindell (D-Nash), and Charlie Dannelly (D-Mecklenburg).

Signup for Hot List: CIB recipients—would you also like to receive Hot List, the Conservation Council's periodic email bulletin offering a more extended review of pending state legislation of environmental interest? Hot List comes out every week or two during the state legislative session. If you'd like to be added to that list, please just send an email with "subscribe Hot List" in the subject line to CCNC executive director Carrie Clark at carrie@conservationcouncilnc.org.

Common Agenda Detailed: Community Conservation Assistance Program (CCAP)

This week, we also start a more detailed look at some of the items comprising the "Common Agenda" of citizen environmental groups for this year's General Assembly. FYI, CCNC lobbyist Dan Crawford brings you this summary of the Community Conservation Assistance Program (CCAP):

Contaminated stormwater runoff is the number one cause of impaired surface waters in North Carolina, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Stormwater is rain runoff from developed areas, such as roads, roofs, parking lots and driveways, that pollutes rivers, lakes and streams and triggers flooding in towns and neighborhoods.

The Community Conservation Assistance Program (CCAP) is a voluntary, incentive-based program to install stormwater best management practices on urban, suburban and rural lands. CCAP is administered by the N.C. Division of Soil and Water Conservation, which provides educational, technical and financial assistance to landowners through its network of Soil and Water Conservation Districts. Homeowners, businesses, schools, churches and other civic and community groups may be reimbursed up to 75 percent for approved stormwater retrofit projects.

CCAP was created by the General Assembly in 2006 with the support of realtor, homebuilder and environmental organizations, the NC League of Municipalities and the NC Association of County Commissioners. Currently 65 of the 96 Soil and Water Conservation Districts in North Carolina participate in CCAP.

Funding for CCAP will help stimulate the economy by providing new jobs for contractors and landscapers to conduct “public works” projects that retrofit existing sources of stormwater. This green jobs program will result in cleaner rivers, lakes and streams statewide. The Common Agenda this year asks for $3.4 million to support green jobs and water quality through CCAP.

Coast Watch: Salazar Extends Offshore Energy Study

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar this week continued revisiting some of the late Bush blunders, as he turned attention to the 11th-hour Bush Interior Department's effort to crank up offshore drill leasing on a wide front. Instead of simply stopping the process, Salazar extended the public comment period by six months—and expanded its focus to include "offshore energy" options beyond drilling, including offshore wind energy and wave energy. (Offshore wind energy is considered one of the major untapped resources for renewable energy in the United States.)

In announcing the revised public comment plans, Salazar was blunt in his criticism of the Bush initiative, which was published in the Federal Register on the last day of business before Obama's inauguration. Salazar called the Bush proposal "a headlong rush of the worst kind", "a process rigged to force hurried decisions based on bad information", and "a process tilted toward the usual energy players while renewable energy companies and the interests of American consumers and taxpayers were overlooked." (New York Times, 2/10/09.) We can't argue with that assessment.

Administrative Watch: DENR Assistants Named

The N.C. Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) this week announced the rest of its new leadership team under the Perdue Administration and DENR Secretary Dee Freeman. Manley Wilder, previously the DENR assistant secretary for natural resources, has been moved up to chief deputy/chief operating officer. Wilder previously had been director of the N.C. Div. of Soil and Water Conservation, following a 35-year career with the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Filling the position of Assistant Secretary for Natural Resources will be a veteran conservation advocate, David Knight, who will be coming from his current position as director of government relations for the Nature Conservancy. In his new state post, Knight will supervise the DENR divisions and work groups of Soil and Water Conservation, Forest Resources, Marine Fisheries, Parks and Recreation, the Ecosystem Enhancement Program, and Natural Resources Planning and Conservation.

Career state environmental staff person Robin W. Smith will continue as Assistant Secretary for the Environment, which position oversees the divisions of Water Quality, Air Quality, and Coastal Management, among others. Also continuing in their current roles will be Elizabeth Biser, Director of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, and Diana Kees, Communications Director.

Mary Penny Thompson, DENR's general counsel, will retain that job and take on a dual role as Assistant Secretary of Information Technology.