Conservation Insider Bulletin
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
October 9, 2009
There were mixed greens & browns in the Raleigh races this week, while in one upcoming Senate race green becomes stylish, this week in CIB:
--Campaign Watch: Raleigh Results; Senate Energy Action
--Global Warming Update: Chamber Bleeding High-Profile Membership Over Climate Obstructionism
--Washington Watch: EPA Finalizes Greenhouse Reporting Rule
--Conservationists: Remembering Margaret Pollard and Margie Ellison
Campaign Watch: Raleigh Results; Energy Steps Up as Issue in Dem Senate Race
Raleigh Results: The balance of power on the Raleigh City Council underwent an apparent shift as former council member John Odom re-took a seat over District B Councilor Rodger Koopman, an ally of strong land use planning. This is viewed as likely to end a previous Council majority for Mayor Charles Meeker's policies such as higher impact fees on development. However, other environmental allies such as Meeker himself, At-Large Councilor Russ Stephenson, and District D Councilor Thomas Crowder succeeded in retaining their seats. Local observers speculated that the heated Wake County school board races attracted many conservative voters in the North Raleigh contest which overlapped with Koopman's district, affecting that outcome.
Energy Steps Up as Issue in Dem Senate Race: So far, two North Carolina Democrats have declared their candidacies for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Richard Burr, and at least one other is nearing a decision on whether to run. Interestingly, it is the still-maybe candidate, former State Sen. Cal Cunningham, who has jumped into the debate with the greatest enthusiasm for action on clean energy / climate change legislation recently introduced in the U.S. Senate.
Cunningham traveled to Washington last week to attend the unveiling of the Barbara Boxer / John Kerry legislation on clean energy and climate change. He (along with N.C. House environmental leader Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford) is a cheerleader for that proposal.
When asked, Chapel Hill attorney Ken Lewis said he supported such legislation, and N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall indicated that she was studying it. Lewis and Marshall are the two declared Democratic candidates thus far.
Global Warming Update: Chamber Bleeding High-Profile Membership Over Climate Obstructionism
Here's an encouraging twist on the ongoing, intense national debate over climate change policy. Several high-profile business organizations have dropped their memberships in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in protest over the Chamber's obstructionism on this issue. In contrast to many other business organizations, the U.S. Chamber has uncompromisingly fought against efforts in Congress to require reductions in U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases.
As a result, two large electric utilities dropped their memberships in late September, and this week it was electronics leader Apple, Inc. In a letter to the Chamber president, Apple vice president Catherine Novelli said, "Apple supports regulating greenhouse gas emissions, and it is frustrating to find the Chamber at odds with us in this effort." (Washington Post, 10/5/09.)
The Chamber president, Thomas J. Donohue, is receiving criticism for what some perceive as a conflict of interest between his duties to that group and his membership on the board of directors for Union Pacific Railroad. Union Pacific opposes climate action legislation, as an estimated 20% of its business comes from shipping coal. Donohue has agreed to Union Pacific's policy for its board members, which calls for them to back Union Pacific's interests in other contexts. There have been calls for him to resolve the conflict by resigning one position or the other. Thus far, he has refused. (National Public Radio, 9/28/09.)
Washington Watch: EPA Finalizes Greenhouse Reporting Rule
As expected, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in late September issued its final Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Rule. The rule will require approximately 10,000 industrial facilities to monitor and report their greenhouse gas emissions. The first reports are due on March 31, 2011 for calendar year 2010 emissions. Monitoring and recordkeeping activities must begin January 1, 2010, at covered facilities. EPA rejected arguments to delay the rule's implementation for a year.
If nothing else, this helps reinforce the message to potential obstructionists in Congress and lobbying groups that action is coming on climate change. Congress can set the policy—or, the Obama Administration is signaling, the executive branch has the existing authority under previous clean air legislation to act on its own through rulemaking.
Conservationists: Remembering Margaret Pollard and Margie Ellison
Two strong environmental activists with a history of special service to North Carolina's minority communities passed away recently. Margaret Pollard was a Chatham County Commissioner, and a trail-breaker as an African-American women in that post. A community organizer for decades, she also served at times as a member of the N.C. Environmental Management Commission and as a member of the board of directors of CCNC. N.C. House Speaker Joe Hackney (D-Chatham), speaking at Pollard's funeral, told mourners, "She had a real passion for helping poor people, for helping provide good nutrition for them and building houses for them."
Margie Ellison, also African-American, served as NC WARN's organizing director since 2006 and was a founder of the Grassroots Energy Alliance. Her work for Chatham County included chairing its Human Relations Commission, and serving on both its Economic Development Board and its Green Economy Task Force. In a statement, NC WARN said that "Margie's life was dedicated to the struggle for civil rights and for social, economic, and environmental justice."
Showing posts with label Besse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Besse. Show all posts
8/18/2009
Conservation Insider Bulletin, Aug. 14
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
August 14, 2009
It's time for some environmental scorekeeping from the just-completed legislative session, plus a glance ahead at some of this fall's municipal campaigns, this week in CIB:
Legislative Watch: Done Deals; Lurking Menaces; Live Opportunities
Looking back over the General Assembly session just ended, here are some of the items that stand out, for good or bad.
Done Deals: The General Assembly took final action on a number of environmental priority items this year. They include the following:
--Transit finance: Gaining final passage on the last day of the session, HB 148, "Congestion Relief / Intermodal Transport Fund", could represent a major step forward for mass transit in North Carolina. The bill gives five urban counties in the Triangle and Triad regions the right to hold local referenda establishing an optional half-cent sales tax increment for transit finance—similar to the one which Mecklenburg County has used to underwrite its new light rail line. The other North Carolina counties can hold referenda on an optional quarter-cent sales tax increment for public transit funding. Wake, Durham, and Orange are expected to seek to use their new authority to boost the Triangle Transit Authority's proposed light rail system.
--Reservoir rules: Earlier in the session, environmental advocates achieved an acceptable compromise for rules to clean up Jordan Reservoir, through passage of HB 239, "Restore Water Quality in Jordan Reservoir".
--Energy action: The state's renewable energy tax credit (HB 512) was extended until 2016; and local governments were authorized to establish revolving loan funds for energy improvements (HB 1389). HB 1389 will authorize municipalities and counties to use federal stimulus and other funds to finance loans for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. These two bills will help to keep clean energy development moving in our state during a very tough economic period.
Lurking Menaces: Some worrisome proposals were approved by one chamber or the other, keeping them alive for consideration during the "short session" in 2010, including these:
--Beach bummer: SB 832, "CRC May Permit Terminal Groin", passed the Senate and awaits consideration in the House. This terrible bill would rip a gaping hole in the state's long-standing policy of prohibiting new hard structures on the oceanfront, and lead to accelerated loss of coastal beaches.
--Wind chill: SB 1068, "Permitting of Wind Energy Facilities", which in its current form would effectively ban commercial wind generation in the mountains, was approved by the Senate. The bill started life as a generally positive proposal to systemitize the regulation of wind energy development—which is still needed—but during debate in committee, amendments were added which took a darker turn. Fortunately, the House referred the legislation to the House Energy and Energy Efficiency Committee, to be followed by review in the House Finance Committee, with final action likely in 2010. Conservationists are hopeful of repairing the proposal during that process.
-- Rule-unmaking: HB 1335, "Moratorium on EMC Rule Making", ironically passed the Senate, not the House, in its current form. After almost passing the Senate as a blanket moratorium on all Environmental Management Commission (EMC) rulemaking, it was reduced to a moratorium on rules requiring monitoring of water pollution from hog farms. Hear no evil, see no evil...and evil.
Live Opportunities: On the plus side, there are other bills still alive which offer positive opportunities, including this one:
--Local campaigns public financing: CCNC is one of many citizen groups to endorse HB 120, "Public Municipal Campaigns", which would empower the State Board of Elections to authorize more cities or towns to conduct pilot projects in public financing of local campaigns. It passed the House but couldn't quite pull together the votes for passage on the Senate floor and was returned to committee there. Why is this an environmental issue? Well, consider—the vigorous opposition to this entirely voluntary campaign reform effort was led by development interests, which are perfectly happy with their current heavy financial influence on the election of local officials. There's still a chance to move this bill forward in next year's "short session".
Campaign Watch: Green Fields
Last month, CIB invited comments on contests to watch during this fall's municipal election campaigns. Here's what we've heard thus far:
Greensboro: Joel Landau, the general manager of Deep Roots Market, is running for the Greensboro City Council seat from District 4. His experience includes membership on the Greensboro Community Sustainability Council, the Greensboro Planning Board, and the Greensboro chapter of Cool Cities (which promotes local action on climate change). Greensboro's nonpartisan October 6 primary will narrow the field in District 4 to two candidates for the November 3 general election. More information on this and the other Greensboro council races is available at www.triadpolitics.info , a site containing information prepared by the Triad's alternative newsweekly, YES Weekly.
Raleigh: Raleigh city elections routinely feature environmental themes. This year, state environmental legend Bill Holman appears in advertising for the re-election campaigns of Raleigh City Councillors Nancy McFarlane and Russ Stephenson, under the theme "Environmental Stewardship for Raleigh". Among other issue references, McFarlane touts her involvement with efforts such as "Muddy Water Watch" and the push for stronger stormwater controls. Stephenson features his advocacy for sustainable design and the reform of water resources planning.
Cary: Our Cary correspondent points to a contest of interest in Cary Council District A, where three Democratic challengers face a Republican incumbent in this officially non-partisan race. Incumbent Jennifer Robinson was previously viewed as having "strong environmental leanings", but is seen as having more recently sided with "grow at all costs" interests. The three challengers include Cynthia Sinkez, seen as a supporter of environmental causes. Cary's city elections are October 6.
Winston-Salem: There are hot contests with environmental policy implications in several of this city's districts ("wards"), both in the September 15 primary and the November 3 general election. Of these, perhaps the most interesting is the Democratic primary in the North Ward. The North Ward's current representative, Nelson Malloy (perhaps the "greenest" member of the Winston-Salem City Council), is retiring due to ill health. Three Democrats (D.D. Adams, Wayne Patterson, and Phillip Carter) are competing to take his place, and environmental matters make their lists of concerns. Adams is currently a member of the city's Sustainability Commission. Patterson speaks of his support for more bike lanes and sidewalks, preservation of green space, and expanded use of biodiesel. All three Democrats are African-American. The Democratic primary winner will be heavily favored in the general election in this majority-minority district. More information on these candidates and all the other Winston-Salem contests also can be found at www.triadpolitics.info .
We know that there's more happening out there. Reader tips on where to look for local environmental campaign items are welcome.
Washington Watch: EPA Invites Clean Water Enforcement Plan Comments
The U.S. EPA announced this week that it has created an "online discussion forum" to receive public comments on its national enforcement program on clean water laws. Comments will be received online through August 28. Comments received will be considered by the EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance in its development of a strengthened enforcement action plan.
Information on development of the plan is available at:
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/cwa/cwaenfplan.html
Comments will be taken at http://blog.epa.gov.cwaactionplan.
Conservationists: Sustainable Energy Group Seeks Nominees
The N.C. Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA) has announced that it is seeking nominations of individuals to serve three-year terms on its board of directors, beginning this October. NCSEA bills itself as a non-profit membership organization "working to ensure a sustainable future by promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency in North Carolina through education, public policy and economic development."
Nominees must be NCSEA members (presumably, by the time they're nominated), and nominations will be accepted until 5 p.m. August 25. The NCSEA website is www.energync.org, and more info on the nominations process is available from Julie Robinson, NCSEA's Director of Marketing & Communications, at julie@energync.org.
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
August 14, 2009
It's time for some environmental scorekeeping from the just-completed legislative session, plus a glance ahead at some of this fall's municipal campaigns, this week in CIB:
Legislative Watch: Done Deals; Lurking Menaces; Live Opportunities
Looking back over the General Assembly session just ended, here are some of the items that stand out, for good or bad.
Done Deals: The General Assembly took final action on a number of environmental priority items this year. They include the following:
--Transit finance: Gaining final passage on the last day of the session, HB 148, "Congestion Relief / Intermodal Transport Fund", could represent a major step forward for mass transit in North Carolina. The bill gives five urban counties in the Triangle and Triad regions the right to hold local referenda establishing an optional half-cent sales tax increment for transit finance—similar to the one which Mecklenburg County has used to underwrite its new light rail line. The other North Carolina counties can hold referenda on an optional quarter-cent sales tax increment for public transit funding. Wake, Durham, and Orange are expected to seek to use their new authority to boost the Triangle Transit Authority's proposed light rail system.
--Reservoir rules: Earlier in the session, environmental advocates achieved an acceptable compromise for rules to clean up Jordan Reservoir, through passage of HB 239, "Restore Water Quality in Jordan Reservoir".
--Energy action: The state's renewable energy tax credit (HB 512) was extended until 2016; and local governments were authorized to establish revolving loan funds for energy improvements (HB 1389). HB 1389 will authorize municipalities and counties to use federal stimulus and other funds to finance loans for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. These two bills will help to keep clean energy development moving in our state during a very tough economic period.
Lurking Menaces: Some worrisome proposals were approved by one chamber or the other, keeping them alive for consideration during the "short session" in 2010, including these:
--Beach bummer: SB 832, "CRC May Permit Terminal Groin", passed the Senate and awaits consideration in the House. This terrible bill would rip a gaping hole in the state's long-standing policy of prohibiting new hard structures on the oceanfront, and lead to accelerated loss of coastal beaches.
--Wind chill: SB 1068, "Permitting of Wind Energy Facilities", which in its current form would effectively ban commercial wind generation in the mountains, was approved by the Senate. The bill started life as a generally positive proposal to systemitize the regulation of wind energy development—which is still needed—but during debate in committee, amendments were added which took a darker turn. Fortunately, the House referred the legislation to the House Energy and Energy Efficiency Committee, to be followed by review in the House Finance Committee, with final action likely in 2010. Conservationists are hopeful of repairing the proposal during that process.
-- Rule-unmaking: HB 1335, "Moratorium on EMC Rule Making", ironically passed the Senate, not the House, in its current form. After almost passing the Senate as a blanket moratorium on all Environmental Management Commission (EMC) rulemaking, it was reduced to a moratorium on rules requiring monitoring of water pollution from hog farms. Hear no evil, see no evil...and evil.
Live Opportunities: On the plus side, there are other bills still alive which offer positive opportunities, including this one:
--Local campaigns public financing: CCNC is one of many citizen groups to endorse HB 120, "Public Municipal Campaigns", which would empower the State Board of Elections to authorize more cities or towns to conduct pilot projects in public financing of local campaigns. It passed the House but couldn't quite pull together the votes for passage on the Senate floor and was returned to committee there. Why is this an environmental issue? Well, consider—the vigorous opposition to this entirely voluntary campaign reform effort was led by development interests, which are perfectly happy with their current heavy financial influence on the election of local officials. There's still a chance to move this bill forward in next year's "short session".
Campaign Watch: Green Fields
Last month, CIB invited comments on contests to watch during this fall's municipal election campaigns. Here's what we've heard thus far:
Greensboro: Joel Landau, the general manager of Deep Roots Market, is running for the Greensboro City Council seat from District 4. His experience includes membership on the Greensboro Community Sustainability Council, the Greensboro Planning Board, and the Greensboro chapter of Cool Cities (which promotes local action on climate change). Greensboro's nonpartisan October 6 primary will narrow the field in District 4 to two candidates for the November 3 general election. More information on this and the other Greensboro council races is available at www.triadpolitics.info , a site containing information prepared by the Triad's alternative newsweekly, YES Weekly.
Raleigh: Raleigh city elections routinely feature environmental themes. This year, state environmental legend Bill Holman appears in advertising for the re-election campaigns of Raleigh City Councillors Nancy McFarlane and Russ Stephenson, under the theme "Environmental Stewardship for Raleigh". Among other issue references, McFarlane touts her involvement with efforts such as "Muddy Water Watch" and the push for stronger stormwater controls. Stephenson features his advocacy for sustainable design and the reform of water resources planning.
Cary: Our Cary correspondent points to a contest of interest in Cary Council District A, where three Democratic challengers face a Republican incumbent in this officially non-partisan race. Incumbent Jennifer Robinson was previously viewed as having "strong environmental leanings", but is seen as having more recently sided with "grow at all costs" interests. The three challengers include Cynthia Sinkez, seen as a supporter of environmental causes. Cary's city elections are October 6.
Winston-Salem: There are hot contests with environmental policy implications in several of this city's districts ("wards"), both in the September 15 primary and the November 3 general election. Of these, perhaps the most interesting is the Democratic primary in the North Ward. The North Ward's current representative, Nelson Malloy (perhaps the "greenest" member of the Winston-Salem City Council), is retiring due to ill health. Three Democrats (D.D. Adams, Wayne Patterson, and Phillip Carter) are competing to take his place, and environmental matters make their lists of concerns. Adams is currently a member of the city's Sustainability Commission. Patterson speaks of his support for more bike lanes and sidewalks, preservation of green space, and expanded use of biodiesel. All three Democrats are African-American. The Democratic primary winner will be heavily favored in the general election in this majority-minority district. More information on these candidates and all the other Winston-Salem contests also can be found at www.triadpolitics.info .
We know that there's more happening out there. Reader tips on where to look for local environmental campaign items are welcome.
Washington Watch: EPA Invites Clean Water Enforcement Plan Comments
The U.S. EPA announced this week that it has created an "online discussion forum" to receive public comments on its national enforcement program on clean water laws. Comments will be received online through August 28. Comments received will be considered by the EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance in its development of a strengthened enforcement action plan.
Information on development of the plan is available at:
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/cwa/cwaenfplan.html
Comments will be taken at http://blog.epa.gov.cwaactionplan.
Conservationists: Sustainable Energy Group Seeks Nominees
The N.C. Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA) has announced that it is seeking nominations of individuals to serve three-year terms on its board of directors, beginning this October. NCSEA bills itself as a non-profit membership organization "working to ensure a sustainable future by promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency in North Carolina through education, public policy and economic development."
Nominees must be NCSEA members (presumably, by the time they're nominated), and nominations will be accepted until 5 p.m. August 25. The NCSEA website is www.energync.org, and more info on the nominations process is available from Julie Robinson, NCSEA's Director of Marketing & Communications, at julie@energync.org.
8/13/2009
Conservation Insider Bulletin, Aug. 7
Conservation Insider Bulletin
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
August 7, 2009
More complete legislative updates will be provided in future editions, but here's where some major environmental items stand as of today's CIB press time.
Budget Approved: More than a month late and pleasing no one, the General Assembly finally approved a budget. The combination of major program cuts and significant tax increases, in response to plummeting revenues caused by the deep recession, left a sour mood in all camps. In the process, critical environmental programs took their share of hard knocks. Within the context of these very rough times, Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford), chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural and Economic Resources, reports what has to be taken as the good news. The Office of Environmental Education was not eliminated, despite a Senate recommendation to do so. The Clean Water Management Trust Fund received a $50 million appropriation—not enough to make up for what was raided by the governor to cover last year's shortfalls, but much better than nothing. Finally, the Farmland Preservation Trust Fund got $2 million. Overall, spending in the categories of "natural and economic resources" took $61.2 million in cuts compared to last year's budget.
An Ill Wind: The Senate this week approved a version of SB 106 "Permitting of Wind Energy Facilities", which would effectively ban commercial wind generation in the mountains. This unfortunate turn has pitted scenic preservationists against advocates of renewable energy development. Clean energy advocates point out that the two perspectives don't have to be taken as in fundamental conflict, and that a reasonable accommodation can both preserve scenic mountain vistas and make use of a clean, reliable energy source. The Senate-passed version of the bill fails to meet that test. Fortunately, the House referred the legislation to the House Energy and Energy Efficiency Committee, to be followed by review in the House Finance Committee. This seems to indicate that the measure will be reviewed with deliberation, and improvements will be sought. Final action will likely come in 2010.
Positive Energy: Not all the energy-related news was bad. Two important energy-related items have received late legislative approval. The state's renewable energy tax credit (HB 512) was extended until 2016; and local governments were authorized to establish revolving loan funds for energy improvements (HB 1389). HB 1389 will authorize municipalities and counties to use federal stimulus and other funds to finance loans for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. These two bills will help to keep clean energy development moving in our state during a very tough economic period.
Judicial Watch: Roadless Rule Restored
There's good news for our national forests from the federal courts this week. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (out in California) has reinstated the 2001 "roadless rule" enacted by the Clinton administration just before he left office. The court's ruling tosses out a 2005 decision by the U.S. Forest Service under the Bush administration, which had reversed the Clinton rule.
The restored Roadless Rule blocks most commercial logging, mining, and other development from 58.5 million acres of roadless areas in the national forests. These roadless areas are de facto wilderness, often including areas of our remaining old growth forest, including areas in North Carolina.
The court's decision should provide regular rule underpinning to secure the Obama administration's temporary moratorium on further development in these important wilderness areas. U.S. Interior Secretary Tom Vilsack had taken personal review of all development proposals in these areas under a directive to the Forest Service on May 28 of this year.
The Other Side: Big Coal Pays for Fake Lobbying Letters
Sometimes the machinations of the forces opposing action on climate change impress even the hardened cynics. One such case was revealed this week with news that the "American Coalition for Clean Coal Energy" was bankrolling a PR firm which sent blatantly fabricated letters opposing climate change legislation to members of Congress.
The "Clean Coal Energy" group, of course, is just a front group for the coal industry itself. Nothing new there. The PR firm it hired, Bonner & Associates, was generating "astroturf" (artificial 'grassroots' lobbying) letters to swing voters in Congress. Ho-hum, old story.
But here's the kicker. These letters weren't just goosed up by Bonner; they were made up. The letterheads of real groups, like a Hispanic network group and a Virginia NAACP chapter, were used to fake letters purportedly coming from those groups, in opposition to climate change action.
According to news reports, the newspaper Charlottesville(Va.) Daily Progress "broke" news of the scandal in the case of the fake letters sent to first-term U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA5). Since then, other similar fakes have been found to representatives from Pennsylvania. The PR firm apparently sought to target recently elected Democrats from swing districts in states where the coal industry has political clout.
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow has had a field day reporting on the scandal this week, including an interview with Perriello. Among her points, she noted that the "shocked, shocked" reaction from the "Clean Coal Energy" group ignored a previous history of similar scams involving the Bonner firm. According to Maddow's research, the "Clean Coal" group even knew about the fake letters before the House voted on ACES (American Clean Energy and Security Act) in late June, but failed to reveal the scam.
Debate in Congress over recent weeks has focused primarily on health care reform efforts—but some scandals are just too juicy to be entirely suppressed. Lettergate may prove to be one of these.
Education & Resources: eRulemaking Site Upgrades Public Access
The EPA announced this week that its eRulemaking Program has launched a "significant upgrade" to www.regulations.gov, the site which provides "one-stop, public access to information related to current and forthcoming regulations issued by the federal government." The 8/3/09 EPA news release specifically touted "improved search capabilities, new navigation tools, and easier access to areas for the public to provide comments on proposed regulations." The EPA acts as managing agency partner for the inter-agency eRulemaking Program.
This is no doubt news eagerly awaited by the burgeoning Green Cybergeek Community, of which there may be more members than I might have thought a couple of years ago. It will probably even be useful for the rest of us who periodically need to check the content or status of a federal rulemaking proposal.
And the odds are, you heard it here first. Another scoop for CIB. Eat out your hearts, mainstream media.
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
August 7, 2009
More complete legislative updates will be provided in future editions, but here's where some major environmental items stand as of today's CIB press time.
Budget Approved: More than a month late and pleasing no one, the General Assembly finally approved a budget. The combination of major program cuts and significant tax increases, in response to plummeting revenues caused by the deep recession, left a sour mood in all camps. In the process, critical environmental programs took their share of hard knocks. Within the context of these very rough times, Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford), chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural and Economic Resources, reports what has to be taken as the good news. The Office of Environmental Education was not eliminated, despite a Senate recommendation to do so. The Clean Water Management Trust Fund received a $50 million appropriation—not enough to make up for what was raided by the governor to cover last year's shortfalls, but much better than nothing. Finally, the Farmland Preservation Trust Fund got $2 million. Overall, spending in the categories of "natural and economic resources" took $61.2 million in cuts compared to last year's budget.
An Ill Wind: The Senate this week approved a version of SB 106 "Permitting of Wind Energy Facilities", which would effectively ban commercial wind generation in the mountains. This unfortunate turn has pitted scenic preservationists against advocates of renewable energy development. Clean energy advocates point out that the two perspectives don't have to be taken as in fundamental conflict, and that a reasonable accommodation can both preserve scenic mountain vistas and make use of a clean, reliable energy source. The Senate-passed version of the bill fails to meet that test. Fortunately, the House referred the legislation to the House Energy and Energy Efficiency Committee, to be followed by review in the House Finance Committee. This seems to indicate that the measure will be reviewed with deliberation, and improvements will be sought. Final action will likely come in 2010.
Positive Energy: Not all the energy-related news was bad. Two important energy-related items have received late legislative approval. The state's renewable energy tax credit (HB 512) was extended until 2016; and local governments were authorized to establish revolving loan funds for energy improvements (HB 1389). HB 1389 will authorize municipalities and counties to use federal stimulus and other funds to finance loans for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. These two bills will help to keep clean energy development moving in our state during a very tough economic period.
Judicial Watch: Roadless Rule Restored
There's good news for our national forests from the federal courts this week. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (out in California) has reinstated the 2001 "roadless rule" enacted by the Clinton administration just before he left office. The court's ruling tosses out a 2005 decision by the U.S. Forest Service under the Bush administration, which had reversed the Clinton rule.
The restored Roadless Rule blocks most commercial logging, mining, and other development from 58.5 million acres of roadless areas in the national forests. These roadless areas are de facto wilderness, often including areas of our remaining old growth forest, including areas in North Carolina.
The court's decision should provide regular rule underpinning to secure the Obama administration's temporary moratorium on further development in these important wilderness areas. U.S. Interior Secretary Tom Vilsack had taken personal review of all development proposals in these areas under a directive to the Forest Service on May 28 of this year.
The Other Side: Big Coal Pays for Fake Lobbying Letters
Sometimes the machinations of the forces opposing action on climate change impress even the hardened cynics. One such case was revealed this week with news that the "American Coalition for Clean Coal Energy" was bankrolling a PR firm which sent blatantly fabricated letters opposing climate change legislation to members of Congress.
The "Clean Coal Energy" group, of course, is just a front group for the coal industry itself. Nothing new there. The PR firm it hired, Bonner & Associates, was generating "astroturf" (artificial 'grassroots' lobbying) letters to swing voters in Congress. Ho-hum, old story.
But here's the kicker. These letters weren't just goosed up by Bonner; they were made up. The letterheads of real groups, like a Hispanic network group and a Virginia NAACP chapter, were used to fake letters purportedly coming from those groups, in opposition to climate change action.
According to news reports, the newspaper Charlottesville(Va.) Daily Progress "broke" news of the scandal in the case of the fake letters sent to first-term U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA5). Since then, other similar fakes have been found to representatives from Pennsylvania. The PR firm apparently sought to target recently elected Democrats from swing districts in states where the coal industry has political clout.
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow has had a field day reporting on the scandal this week, including an interview with Perriello. Among her points, she noted that the "shocked, shocked" reaction from the "Clean Coal Energy" group ignored a previous history of similar scams involving the Bonner firm. According to Maddow's research, the "Clean Coal" group even knew about the fake letters before the House voted on ACES (American Clean Energy and Security Act) in late June, but failed to reveal the scam.
Debate in Congress over recent weeks has focused primarily on health care reform efforts—but some scandals are just too juicy to be entirely suppressed. Lettergate may prove to be one of these.
Education & Resources: eRulemaking Site Upgrades Public Access
The EPA announced this week that its eRulemaking Program has launched a "significant upgrade" to www.regulations.gov, the site which provides "one-stop, public access to information related to current and forthcoming regulations issued by the federal government." The 8/3/09 EPA news release specifically touted "improved search capabilities, new navigation tools, and easier access to areas for the public to provide comments on proposed regulations." The EPA acts as managing agency partner for the inter-agency eRulemaking Program.
This is no doubt news eagerly awaited by the burgeoning Green Cybergeek Community, of which there may be more members than I might have thought a couple of years ago. It will probably even be useful for the rest of us who periodically need to check the content or status of a federal rulemaking proposal.
And the odds are, you heard it here first. Another scoop for CIB. Eat out your hearts, mainstream media.
6/07/2009
Conservation Insider Bulletin, June 5
Conservation Insider Bulletin
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
June 5, 2009
Duke announces a big rate hike request, and a huge coastal mining operation receives a new permit, this week in CIB:
--Administrative Watch: Duke Rate Hike Would Bankroll Cliffside
--Coast Watch: Phosphate Mine Gets New Permit
--Conservationists: Yadkin Riverkeeper Wins Recognition
Administrative Watch: Duke Rate Hike Would Bankroll Cliffside
Duke Energy filed a request with the N.C. Utilities Commission this week to hike its rates by 13.5 percent for residential customers, 9.7 percent for commercial and institutional users, and 15.2 percent for industries. Duke pointed to what it said were growing capital expenses as the main reason for the big rate hike request—including its contested new coal plant under construction at Cliffside.
The Cliffside-related costs would represent Duke's largest use of the controversial "construction work in progress" (CWIP) financing technique in decades. Opponents of new coal plant construction predicted this result when North Carolina legislators adopted legislation to radically weaken limits on CWIP in 2007.
Duke's rate hike request must be reviewed and approved by the Utilities Commission before it can take effect. Industrial and other electric customers immediately signaled opposition to the Duke request and can be expected to fight it in front of the state board. The Commission denied Duke's most recent previous rate hike request in 2007—but that was before new CWIP rules went into effect.
Meanwhile, environmental groups continue to challenge the Cliffside plant's air emission permits in federal court. The N.C. Division of Air Quality has now twice approved the plant's permit, and the U.S. District Court for western North Carolina is considering whether to intervene a second time.
Coast Watch: Phosphate Mine Gets New Permit
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this week issued a new permit for the massive PCS Phosphates mining operation on the Pamlico River in Beaufort County. The action may spell the end of a multi-year fight over the terms of expanding surface mining operations there, or could result in further challenges.
The Section 404 water quality permit would allow the company to mine through thousands of additional acres of wetlands near the river. It's the largest single permitted wetlands destruction operation in North Carolina history. The permit was held up by EPA directive earlier this year while the Corps reassessed what it would allow the company to do.
Citizen conservation groups including the Southern Environmental Law Center have been among those challenging PCS' mining expansion plans. Among the key issues has been the company's proposal to mine through a "nationally significant" hardwood swamp forest covering the headwaters of a Pamlico tributary stream.
An EPA spokesperson reacted favorably to some changes included in the Corps-approved permit, but noted that the agency continued to review the details. EPA has a short time within which to decide whether or not to challenge the permit further. Conservation groups are also in the process of reviewing the permit details. (Some facts for this article were drawn from the Washington Daily News, 6/4/09 and 6/5/09.)
Conservationists: Yadkin Riverkeeper Wins Recognition
Dean Naujoks, Yadkin Riverkeeper, received the River Network's 2009 National River Hero Award last weekend at the organization's annual national River Rally, held this year in Baltimore. The River Network promotes clean water restoration and protection, and has about 700 partner groups around the country.
Naujoks, who has worked on the Yadkin since October 2008, previously served for seven years as the Upper Neuse Riverkeeper. Zoe Gamble Hanes, president of the Yadkin Riverkeeper group, noted that Naujoks' work has gained particular attention through his efforts to reduce toxics pollution in Badin Lake associated with the former Alcoa operations there. (Gamble Hanes is also a member of the CCNC board of directors.)
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
June 5, 2009
Duke announces a big rate hike request, and a huge coastal mining operation receives a new permit, this week in CIB:
--Administrative Watch: Duke Rate Hike Would Bankroll Cliffside
--Coast Watch: Phosphate Mine Gets New Permit
--Conservationists: Yadkin Riverkeeper Wins Recognition
Administrative Watch: Duke Rate Hike Would Bankroll Cliffside
Duke Energy filed a request with the N.C. Utilities Commission this week to hike its rates by 13.5 percent for residential customers, 9.7 percent for commercial and institutional users, and 15.2 percent for industries. Duke pointed to what it said were growing capital expenses as the main reason for the big rate hike request—including its contested new coal plant under construction at Cliffside.
The Cliffside-related costs would represent Duke's largest use of the controversial "construction work in progress" (CWIP) financing technique in decades. Opponents of new coal plant construction predicted this result when North Carolina legislators adopted legislation to radically weaken limits on CWIP in 2007.
Duke's rate hike request must be reviewed and approved by the Utilities Commission before it can take effect. Industrial and other electric customers immediately signaled opposition to the Duke request and can be expected to fight it in front of the state board. The Commission denied Duke's most recent previous rate hike request in 2007—but that was before new CWIP rules went into effect.
Meanwhile, environmental groups continue to challenge the Cliffside plant's air emission permits in federal court. The N.C. Division of Air Quality has now twice approved the plant's permit, and the U.S. District Court for western North Carolina is considering whether to intervene a second time.
Coast Watch: Phosphate Mine Gets New Permit
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this week issued a new permit for the massive PCS Phosphates mining operation on the Pamlico River in Beaufort County. The action may spell the end of a multi-year fight over the terms of expanding surface mining operations there, or could result in further challenges.
The Section 404 water quality permit would allow the company to mine through thousands of additional acres of wetlands near the river. It's the largest single permitted wetlands destruction operation in North Carolina history. The permit was held up by EPA directive earlier this year while the Corps reassessed what it would allow the company to do.
Citizen conservation groups including the Southern Environmental Law Center have been among those challenging PCS' mining expansion plans. Among the key issues has been the company's proposal to mine through a "nationally significant" hardwood swamp forest covering the headwaters of a Pamlico tributary stream.
An EPA spokesperson reacted favorably to some changes included in the Corps-approved permit, but noted that the agency continued to review the details. EPA has a short time within which to decide whether or not to challenge the permit further. Conservation groups are also in the process of reviewing the permit details. (Some facts for this article were drawn from the Washington Daily News, 6/4/09 and 6/5/09.)
Conservationists: Yadkin Riverkeeper Wins Recognition
Dean Naujoks, Yadkin Riverkeeper, received the River Network's 2009 National River Hero Award last weekend at the organization's annual national River Rally, held this year in Baltimore. The River Network promotes clean water restoration and protection, and has about 700 partner groups around the country.
Naujoks, who has worked on the Yadkin since October 2008, previously served for seven years as the Upper Neuse Riverkeeper. Zoe Gamble Hanes, president of the Yadkin Riverkeeper group, noted that Naujoks' work has gained particular attention through his efforts to reduce toxics pollution in Badin Lake associated with the former Alcoa operations there. (Gamble Hanes is also a member of the CCNC board of directors.)
4/27/2009
Conservation Insider Bulletin, April 24
Conservation Insider Bulletin
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
April 24, 2009
Environmental action has heated up in Raleigh, with opportunities to speak up on funding priorities and coastal issues coming soon, plus national news on climate change, this week in CIB:
--Legislative Watch: Transit Funding Advances; Mountaintop Protection Stalls; Beach Bummer Up Next; Speak Out On Budget
--Coast Watch: Offshore Drilling Hearing April 27, Climate Change & the Coast May 19
--Washington Watch: EPA Climate Action a "Game-Changer"
--Education & Resources: EPA Report Says Climate Change Will Increase Regional Ozone Pollution
Legislative Watch: Transit Funding Advances; Mountaintop Protection Stalls; Beach Bummer Up Next; Speak Out on Budget
Transit Funding Advances: The N.C. House this week voted twice by convincing margins (77-40, 75-40) to approve HB 148, "Congestion Relief / Intermodal Transport Fund", which would provide a critical public finance option for regional public transit systems. The bill, backed by environmental, municipal, and business groups alike, would permit counties to approve via public referenda a special 1/2 or 1/4 cent sales tax exclusively for the funding of public transit systems. It now goes to the Senate for consideration.
Mountaintop Protection Stalls: Legislation to protect threatened mountain environments in coal-producing states didn't fare as well. HB 340, "Appalachian Mountains Preservation Act", was heard in the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee this week. Power company representatives made dire and controversial predictions of coal shortages and electric price hikes if legislators approved this bill to bar North Carolina power plants from burning coal obtained by the environmentally devastating process of "mountaintop removal" strip mining. Facing likely defeat in committee, bill sponsors pulled back from a vote. Principal sponsor Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford) indicated that she would instead circulate a letter for concerned state legislators to sign in support of federal action to end the controversial practice altogether.
Beach Bummer Up Next: SB 832, "CRC May Permit Terminal Groin"—which CIB non-fondly calls the Beach Bummer Bill—is slated to be heard next week in the Senate Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee. If approved, this terrible bill would rip a gaping hole in North Carolina's long-standing policies protecting our beaches and barrier islands. A host of leading coastal scientists have condemned these "terminal groins" as costly known failures, which temporarily retain sand in one spot at the expense of accelerating erosion elsewhere on the beaches. CCNC lobbyist Dan Crawford calls the bill "worse than ever" and encourages CCNC members and friends to call their Senators in opposition to SB 832.
Speak Out on Budget: Also next week, there will be important opportunities around the state to speak out for funding for pollution control enforcement, environmental education, and critical land conservation funds. On Tuesday, April 28, from 6-9 p.m., the N.C. House Appropriations Committee will hold a public hearing to receive public comments on this year's state budget. The in-person hearing will take place in Raleigh, in the auditorium of the N.C. Museum of History on Fayetteville Street. Ten community colleges around the state will host simultaneous live interactive broadcasts of the hearing in Charlotte, Dobson, Dublin, Fayetteville, Grantsboro, Henderson, Smithfield, Sylva, Williamston, and Winston-Salem. Speakers will be allowed up to three minutes for comments. Rules for speaking during the event, submitting written comments, and accessing the online broadcast are available at www.ncleg.net/sessions/2009/budget/2009/BudgetPublicHearing.html.
Coast Watch: Offshore Drilling Hearing April 27, Climate Change & the Coast May 19
Two important opportunities to address key issues for our coast are coming up soon.
This Monday, April 27, the state legislative task force on offshore drilling will hold a public hearing in Morehead City at Carteret Community College from 4-6 p.m. Public comments of two to five minutes (depending on turnout) will be heard. Coastal advocates say that the oil industry and its backers will have the "drill now" crowd bussed out in force, so it's important for the voices of environmental reason and long-term economic prosperity for our coast (fisheries and tourism) to be well-represented too. For more details, go to http://www.nccoast.org/Advocacy/2009actionalerts/offshoreoilAA.
On Tuesday, May 19, CCNC and other citizen conservation groups will host an educational event on Climate Change & the Coast, at the N.C. Botanical Gardens in Chapel Hill from 7-9 p.m. Speakers will include Dr. Stan Riggs, Distinguished Research Professor, East Carolina University, and former Secretaries of the N.C. Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources. Due to limited space, advance registration is required, at http://action.sierraclub.org/site/PageNavigator/Sign_Up_Coastal_Evening
Washington Watch: EPA Climate Action a "Game-Changer"
The U.S. EPA late last week announced its formal conclusion that human emissions of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases now "endanger human health and welfare." That's the formal trigger required by a key 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision applying the federal Clean Air Act, which now launches the formal rulemaking process for regulating those emissions.
The availability of this regulatory process helps level the national policy playing field, choking off the threat by opponents in the Senate to block climate change action by filibuster. President Obama, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, and Congressional supporters all say that legislation to address the issue is preferable. However, the clock is now ticking on alternative regulatory action if Congress fails to act in a timely manner.
A leading Congressional supporter of action on climate change, Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), calls the EPA decision a "game changer" in the global warming policy debate. "It changes the playing field with respect to legislation," said Markey. "It's now no longer doing a bill or doing nothing. It is now a choice between regulation and legislation."
David Doniger, climate-policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, agreed. Doniger told reporters, "This has enormous legal significance. It is the first time the federal government has said officially that the science is real, the danger is real and in this case that pollution from cars contributes to it." (Associated Press, 4/18/09.)
Education & Resources: EPA Report Says Climate Change Will Increase Regional Ozone Pollution
Speaking of federal pronouncements on climate change, here's another wake-up call just released by EPA's Global Climate Change Research Program. The newly-released report concludes that continued climate change is likely to produce significant increases in summer air pollution caused by ozone in several major U.S. regions. Most of the study's modeling scenarios show North Carolina, especially Piedmont North Carolina, being especially hard hit by the resulting air pollution increases.
The entire report, titled "Assessment of the Impacts of Global Change on Regional U.S. Air Quality: A Synthesis of Climate Change Impacts on Ground-Level Ozone", including appendices, can be accessed at http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=203459.
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
April 24, 2009
Environmental action has heated up in Raleigh, with opportunities to speak up on funding priorities and coastal issues coming soon, plus national news on climate change, this week in CIB:
--Legislative Watch: Transit Funding Advances; Mountaintop Protection Stalls; Beach Bummer Up Next; Speak Out On Budget
--Coast Watch: Offshore Drilling Hearing April 27, Climate Change & the Coast May 19
--Washington Watch: EPA Climate Action a "Game-Changer"
--Education & Resources: EPA Report Says Climate Change Will Increase Regional Ozone Pollution
Legislative Watch: Transit Funding Advances; Mountaintop Protection Stalls; Beach Bummer Up Next; Speak Out on Budget
Transit Funding Advances: The N.C. House this week voted twice by convincing margins (77-40, 75-40) to approve HB 148, "Congestion Relief / Intermodal Transport Fund", which would provide a critical public finance option for regional public transit systems. The bill, backed by environmental, municipal, and business groups alike, would permit counties to approve via public referenda a special 1/2 or 1/4 cent sales tax exclusively for the funding of public transit systems. It now goes to the Senate for consideration.
Mountaintop Protection Stalls: Legislation to protect threatened mountain environments in coal-producing states didn't fare as well. HB 340, "Appalachian Mountains Preservation Act", was heard in the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee this week. Power company representatives made dire and controversial predictions of coal shortages and electric price hikes if legislators approved this bill to bar North Carolina power plants from burning coal obtained by the environmentally devastating process of "mountaintop removal" strip mining. Facing likely defeat in committee, bill sponsors pulled back from a vote. Principal sponsor Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford) indicated that she would instead circulate a letter for concerned state legislators to sign in support of federal action to end the controversial practice altogether.
Beach Bummer Up Next: SB 832, "CRC May Permit Terminal Groin"—which CIB non-fondly calls the Beach Bummer Bill—is slated to be heard next week in the Senate Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee. If approved, this terrible bill would rip a gaping hole in North Carolina's long-standing policies protecting our beaches and barrier islands. A host of leading coastal scientists have condemned these "terminal groins" as costly known failures, which temporarily retain sand in one spot at the expense of accelerating erosion elsewhere on the beaches. CCNC lobbyist Dan Crawford calls the bill "worse than ever" and encourages CCNC members and friends to call their Senators in opposition to SB 832.
Speak Out on Budget: Also next week, there will be important opportunities around the state to speak out for funding for pollution control enforcement, environmental education, and critical land conservation funds. On Tuesday, April 28, from 6-9 p.m., the N.C. House Appropriations Committee will hold a public hearing to receive public comments on this year's state budget. The in-person hearing will take place in Raleigh, in the auditorium of the N.C. Museum of History on Fayetteville Street. Ten community colleges around the state will host simultaneous live interactive broadcasts of the hearing in Charlotte, Dobson, Dublin, Fayetteville, Grantsboro, Henderson, Smithfield, Sylva, Williamston, and Winston-Salem. Speakers will be allowed up to three minutes for comments. Rules for speaking during the event, submitting written comments, and accessing the online broadcast are available at www.ncleg.net/sessions/2009/budget/2009/BudgetPublicHearing.html.
Coast Watch: Offshore Drilling Hearing April 27, Climate Change & the Coast May 19
Two important opportunities to address key issues for our coast are coming up soon.
This Monday, April 27, the state legislative task force on offshore drilling will hold a public hearing in Morehead City at Carteret Community College from 4-6 p.m. Public comments of two to five minutes (depending on turnout) will be heard. Coastal advocates say that the oil industry and its backers will have the "drill now" crowd bussed out in force, so it's important for the voices of environmental reason and long-term economic prosperity for our coast (fisheries and tourism) to be well-represented too. For more details, go to http://www.nccoast.org/Advocacy/2009actionalerts/offshoreoilAA.
On Tuesday, May 19, CCNC and other citizen conservation groups will host an educational event on Climate Change & the Coast, at the N.C. Botanical Gardens in Chapel Hill from 7-9 p.m. Speakers will include Dr. Stan Riggs, Distinguished Research Professor, East Carolina University, and former Secretaries of the N.C. Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources. Due to limited space, advance registration is required, at http://action.sierraclub.org/site/PageNavigator/Sign_Up_Coastal_Evening
Washington Watch: EPA Climate Action a "Game-Changer"
The U.S. EPA late last week announced its formal conclusion that human emissions of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases now "endanger human health and welfare." That's the formal trigger required by a key 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision applying the federal Clean Air Act, which now launches the formal rulemaking process for regulating those emissions.
The availability of this regulatory process helps level the national policy playing field, choking off the threat by opponents in the Senate to block climate change action by filibuster. President Obama, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, and Congressional supporters all say that legislation to address the issue is preferable. However, the clock is now ticking on alternative regulatory action if Congress fails to act in a timely manner.
A leading Congressional supporter of action on climate change, Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), calls the EPA decision a "game changer" in the global warming policy debate. "It changes the playing field with respect to legislation," said Markey. "It's now no longer doing a bill or doing nothing. It is now a choice between regulation and legislation."
David Doniger, climate-policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, agreed. Doniger told reporters, "This has enormous legal significance. It is the first time the federal government has said officially that the science is real, the danger is real and in this case that pollution from cars contributes to it." (Associated Press, 4/18/09.)
Education & Resources: EPA Report Says Climate Change Will Increase Regional Ozone Pollution
Speaking of federal pronouncements on climate change, here's another wake-up call just released by EPA's Global Climate Change Research Program. The newly-released report concludes that continued climate change is likely to produce significant increases in summer air pollution caused by ozone in several major U.S. regions. Most of the study's modeling scenarios show North Carolina, especially Piedmont North Carolina, being especially hard hit by the resulting air pollution increases.
The entire report, titled "Assessment of the Impacts of Global Change on Regional U.S. Air Quality: A Synthesis of Climate Change Impacts on Ground-Level Ozone", including appendices, can be accessed at http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=203459.
2/14/2009
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.
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.
11/08/2008
Conservation Insider Bulletin, Nov 7
Conservation Insider Bulletin
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
November 7, 2008—ELECTIONS RESULTS EDITION
That cheering you hear is conservationists nationwide celebrating the end of the Bush Reign of Error, as change sweeps the electorate. We review key results nationally and in North Carolina, this week in CIB:
Campaign Watch: Green Day
Of course, our lead story of the week (the year?) is the Obama victory and the change it portends for national environmental policy. This week we include notes on the environmental role in that victory. Looking beyond the presidential contest, we also review a raft of Election Day results of critical environmental significance.
LCV Celebrates Big Day at the Polls: The national League of Conservation Voters (LCV) held a nationwide telephone briefing on Thursday to review environmental successes in the 2008 elections. LCV was an early and enthusiastic backer of the historic Barack Obama candidacy. LCV staff reported that its paid and volunteer voter contact efforts targeted green-leaning voters in six swing states (including North Carolina); Obama won all six.
In Congressional contests, LCV is also celebrating a strong performance by its endorsed candidates. Of 116 Congressional candidates endorsed by LCV or its associated state groups, 92 won and only 18 lost. As of Thursday afternoon, six contests (including both the Alaska Senate and House races) were still too close to call. Winners included seven of the 13 contests involving incumbents designated among the anti-environmental "Dirty Dozen" non-honorees. (Two of the other six were the Alaska races.) Full details are at www.lcv.org.
LCV noted that overall it and its 35 state partner groups spent a cumulative $13 million in supporting or opposing candidates in this 2008 election cycle, and that 78% of the supported candidates (Congress and state legislatures) won. Representative of the kind of candidates LCV supported is Gary Peters, who defeated "Dirty Dozen" member Rep. Joe Knollenberg to take Michigan's 9th Congressional District seat. Peters, who was known for his work at the state level to protect the Great Lakes, campaigned for Congress on the issue of reviving the domestic auto industry through investment in production of cleaner, more efficient vehicles.
In North Carolina, LCV went three for five, backing winners Kay Hagan in the U.S. Senate race, newly elected Larry Kissell (8th Congressional District), and re-elected Rep. Heath Shuler (11th District). Unfortunately, underdog Congressional contenders Roy Carter (5th District) and Daniel Johnson (10th District) fell short in very tough districts. LCV was particularly jazzed up about its statewide efforts on behalf of the Obama and Hagan campaigns. LCV noted that it spent more than $500,000 in North Carolina to contact voters here over 188,000 times via mail, phone, and canvass. Obama won North Carolina by a razor-thin margin of about 14,000 votes. LCV's ranking of Elizabeth Dole (defeated by Hagan) among its "Dirty Dozen" targets helped to frame Dole's image as an advocate for Big Oil.
CCNC Picks Do Well Statewide: CCNC enjoyed a similarly successful campaign in its statewide and state legislature efforts in 2008. Overall, CCNC's endorsed statewide candidates for governor (Bev Perdue), attorney general (Roy Cooper), and treasurer (Janet Cowell) swept to wins. In legislative races (CCNC's primary campaign focus), all 22 endorsed Senate candidates and 44 of its 48 endorsed House candidates won. (Two House races, one win and one loss, were close enough that recounts are possible.) For more details, here is the legislative contest summary from CCNC political director Brownie Newman:
There is much to report on the positive front from the Legislature. First and foremost, all but one of our pro-environmental candidates were re-elected on Tuesday. Wins include our six state Senators who occupy tough swing districts:
· Donald Davis (D-Greene), District 5 won the open seated created by the retirement of John Kerr. He defeated state Rep. Louis Pate for the position. The CPAC should feel good about supporting Davis in a tough five candidate primary as well as in the General Election. He should be a strong leader on our issues.
· Neal Hunt (R-Wake), District 15 survived the blue wave that washed across much of the urban and suburban areas of the state, winning over Democratic challenger Chris Mintz.
· Josh Stein (D-Wake), District 16 picked up the seat created by Janet Cowell’s run for State Treasurer. Stein was expected to win in the General, but as with Donald Davis, the Conservation PAC can feel good to have supported Stein where it counted in the tough Primary Election as well.
· Steve Goss (D-Watauga), District 45 still stands where lightning has now struck twice. He again won a district that by all objective measures should not be held by a Democrat. Two years ago, the Senate Republicans could be forgiven for overlooking this sleeper race but this year have no such excuse. Goss won re-election in this heavily Republican district by a margin of 53-46.
· Joe Sam Queen (D-Haywood), District 47 won his re-match with Keith Pressnell. For the first time, the race was not a complete squeaker with Queen achieving a 53-46 spread.
· John Snow (D-Cherokee), District 50 cruised to victory in his far western district by a 57-42 margin. Since Snow’s upset win in 2004, the Republicans have so far failed to recruit a strong candidate to run against Snow in a district where they should be highly competitive.
Conservation Council endorsed candidates also fared well in the NC House. Environmental champion and Speaker of the House Joe Hackney will return to the chamber with a strong hand as his Democratic majority retained their overall position in the chamber, offsetting a couple of losses with several pickups. Before outlining our long list of wins in tough districts, let me note the races where our endorsed candidates did not win:
· Barbara Garrity-Blake (D-Carteret) lost her bid to unseat Rep. Pat McElraft in District 13 by a 56-43 margin. Garrity-Blake ran a strong campaign but was swimming upstream in this Republican-leaning district.
· Al Swanstrom came up just short in his effort to unseat Rep. Nelson Dollar (R-Wake) in District 36. He lost by the smallest of margins with a 50-49 spread.
· Ed Ridpath lost his race against Rep. Paul Stam (R-Wake) in District 37 by a 53-46 margin.
· The one CPAC-endorsed incumbent to lose on election night is apparently Jim Harrell (D-Alleghany) who is behind in the vote total by a tiny number of votes.
On the plus side, we have a large number of strong environmental legislators who occupy tough swing districts who retained their seats on election day. Here are races we consider to be of particular note:
· Alice Underhill (D-Craven) retained her seat in House District 3 by a margin of 49-47. Many people continue to believe that Underhill may be the only Democrat that has the capacity to retain this seat.
· Grier Martin (D-Wake) held District 34 by a healthy margin.
· Ty Harrell (D-Wake) won re-election to House District 41 in what was one of the most targeted districts in the state by both parties.
· Alice Borden (D-Alamance) won a blowout in District 63 despite earlier nervousness among Democrats that this seat may be tough to hold this cycle.
· Cullie Tarleton (D-Watauga) won re-election to the seat (District 93) he captured two years ago in the Boone area.
· Jane Whilden (D-Buncombe) picked up the District 116, which was vacated by environmental Freshman of the Year Charles Thomas.
· Phil Haire (D-Jackson) won an easy victory in House District 119 although he only narrowly held the seat two years ago.
Complete 2008 CCNC endorsements are posted at www.ccnccpac.org and complete results will be available there soon.
Smart Growth Candidate Prevails in Wake County Voting: In addition to the national and state-level races, there were local elections with environmental ramifications across North Carolina, including both county officials and bond issues. We're not ready yet to provide a survey of noteworthy local results, but we do want to mention one, highlighted a week ago in the last 2008 pre-election CIB.
In a bellweather contest for Wake County Commissioner, smart growth advocate Stan Norwalk defeated incumbent Commissioner Kenn Gardner by a margin of 55-45 out of over 400,000 votes cast. Norwalk, a founding leader of the local planned-growth advocacy group WakeUp Wake County, won despite heavy spending on attacks against him. A group called the "N.C. Homeowners Alliance" tried to paint Norwalk as a kind of Mad Taxer because of his support for the use of land transfer taxes to help pay for the costs of public infrastructure required by new development. This so-called "Homeowners Alliance" was financially underwritten by realtor organization contributions in its campaign of anti-Norwalk mailers and robocalls. Their failure in this contest may indicate that voters are beginning to lose patience with such fulminations.
Washington Watch: Transition Team and EPA Rumors
This is the first presidential election which we can recall in which the prevailing candidate has made a major environmental issue one of the centerpieces of his campaign. For Obama, clean energy has not been a secondary topic or a minor commitment. It has been at the heart of his economic action package—in fact, his centerpiece economic proposal is a ten-year, $150 billion plan for investment in solar, wind, biofuels, and efficient vehicles to address oil dependency, fight global warming, and create enduring jobs.
Given that emphasis, it should come as no surprise that environmental leaders are playing a prominent role in the very earliest acts of Obama's transition from campaign to governance. In fact, the head of Obama's transition team, John D. Podesta, is a member of the League of Conservation Voters' (LCV) national board of directors. Podesta is a former chief of staff for the Clinton White House, who currently heads a major progressive policy research foundation, the Center for American Progress. Another member of the Obama transition team, Carol Browner, is former EPA head under Clinton and also a current member of the LCV board of directors. (By the way, CCNC executive director Carrie Clark is another of the 30-member LCV board. Pretty rarified company...)
Obama's emphasis on environmental policy means that the next head of the Environmental Protection Agency is likely to have real influence within his administration. Therefore, we take note of the early rumors on who may be in line for that post. Among the supposed candidates: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., president of the Waterkeeper Alliance and a leading environmental activist. Other names making the list of rumored possibilities include Lisa Jackson, head of New Jersey's Dept. of Environmental Protection; Robert Sussman, former deputy administrator of the EPA under Clinton; Kathleen McGinty, who has been an aide to Al Gore, chair of the Clinton Office of Environmental Policy, and head of the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection; Mary Nichols, chair of the California Air Resources Board; and Dan Esty, a leading Obama energy advisor who heads Yale's Center for Environmental Law and Policy.
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
November 7, 2008—ELECTIONS RESULTS EDITION
That cheering you hear is conservationists nationwide celebrating the end of the Bush Reign of Error, as change sweeps the electorate. We review key results nationally and in North Carolina, this week in CIB:
Campaign Watch: Green Day
Of course, our lead story of the week (the year?) is the Obama victory and the change it portends for national environmental policy. This week we include notes on the environmental role in that victory. Looking beyond the presidential contest, we also review a raft of Election Day results of critical environmental significance.
LCV Celebrates Big Day at the Polls: The national League of Conservation Voters (LCV) held a nationwide telephone briefing on Thursday to review environmental successes in the 2008 elections. LCV was an early and enthusiastic backer of the historic Barack Obama candidacy. LCV staff reported that its paid and volunteer voter contact efforts targeted green-leaning voters in six swing states (including North Carolina); Obama won all six.
In Congressional contests, LCV is also celebrating a strong performance by its endorsed candidates. Of 116 Congressional candidates endorsed by LCV or its associated state groups, 92 won and only 18 lost. As of Thursday afternoon, six contests (including both the Alaska Senate and House races) were still too close to call. Winners included seven of the 13 contests involving incumbents designated among the anti-environmental "Dirty Dozen" non-honorees. (Two of the other six were the Alaska races.) Full details are at www.lcv.org.
LCV noted that overall it and its 35 state partner groups spent a cumulative $13 million in supporting or opposing candidates in this 2008 election cycle, and that 78% of the supported candidates (Congress and state legislatures) won. Representative of the kind of candidates LCV supported is Gary Peters, who defeated "Dirty Dozen" member Rep. Joe Knollenberg to take Michigan's 9th Congressional District seat. Peters, who was known for his work at the state level to protect the Great Lakes, campaigned for Congress on the issue of reviving the domestic auto industry through investment in production of cleaner, more efficient vehicles.
In North Carolina, LCV went three for five, backing winners Kay Hagan in the U.S. Senate race, newly elected Larry Kissell (8th Congressional District), and re-elected Rep. Heath Shuler (11th District). Unfortunately, underdog Congressional contenders Roy Carter (5th District) and Daniel Johnson (10th District) fell short in very tough districts. LCV was particularly jazzed up about its statewide efforts on behalf of the Obama and Hagan campaigns. LCV noted that it spent more than $500,000 in North Carolina to contact voters here over 188,000 times via mail, phone, and canvass. Obama won North Carolina by a razor-thin margin of about 14,000 votes. LCV's ranking of Elizabeth Dole (defeated by Hagan) among its "Dirty Dozen" targets helped to frame Dole's image as an advocate for Big Oil.
CCNC Picks Do Well Statewide: CCNC enjoyed a similarly successful campaign in its statewide and state legislature efforts in 2008. Overall, CCNC's endorsed statewide candidates for governor (Bev Perdue), attorney general (Roy Cooper), and treasurer (Janet Cowell) swept to wins. In legislative races (CCNC's primary campaign focus), all 22 endorsed Senate candidates and 44 of its 48 endorsed House candidates won. (Two House races, one win and one loss, were close enough that recounts are possible.) For more details, here is the legislative contest summary from CCNC political director Brownie Newman:
There is much to report on the positive front from the Legislature. First and foremost, all but one of our pro-environmental candidates were re-elected on Tuesday. Wins include our six state Senators who occupy tough swing districts:
· Donald Davis (D-Greene), District 5 won the open seated created by the retirement of John Kerr. He defeated state Rep. Louis Pate for the position. The CPAC should feel good about supporting Davis in a tough five candidate primary as well as in the General Election. He should be a strong leader on our issues.
· Neal Hunt (R-Wake), District 15 survived the blue wave that washed across much of the urban and suburban areas of the state, winning over Democratic challenger Chris Mintz.
· Josh Stein (D-Wake), District 16 picked up the seat created by Janet Cowell’s run for State Treasurer. Stein was expected to win in the General, but as with Donald Davis, the Conservation PAC can feel good to have supported Stein where it counted in the tough Primary Election as well.
· Steve Goss (D-Watauga), District 45 still stands where lightning has now struck twice. He again won a district that by all objective measures should not be held by a Democrat. Two years ago, the Senate Republicans could be forgiven for overlooking this sleeper race but this year have no such excuse. Goss won re-election in this heavily Republican district by a margin of 53-46.
· Joe Sam Queen (D-Haywood), District 47 won his re-match with Keith Pressnell. For the first time, the race was not a complete squeaker with Queen achieving a 53-46 spread.
· John Snow (D-Cherokee), District 50 cruised to victory in his far western district by a 57-42 margin. Since Snow’s upset win in 2004, the Republicans have so far failed to recruit a strong candidate to run against Snow in a district where they should be highly competitive.
Conservation Council endorsed candidates also fared well in the NC House. Environmental champion and Speaker of the House Joe Hackney will return to the chamber with a strong hand as his Democratic majority retained their overall position in the chamber, offsetting a couple of losses with several pickups. Before outlining our long list of wins in tough districts, let me note the races where our endorsed candidates did not win:
· Barbara Garrity-Blake (D-Carteret) lost her bid to unseat Rep. Pat McElraft in District 13 by a 56-43 margin. Garrity-Blake ran a strong campaign but was swimming upstream in this Republican-leaning district.
· Al Swanstrom came up just short in his effort to unseat Rep. Nelson Dollar (R-Wake) in District 36. He lost by the smallest of margins with a 50-49 spread.
· Ed Ridpath lost his race against Rep. Paul Stam (R-Wake) in District 37 by a 53-46 margin.
· The one CPAC-endorsed incumbent to lose on election night is apparently Jim Harrell (D-Alleghany) who is behind in the vote total by a tiny number of votes.
On the plus side, we have a large number of strong environmental legislators who occupy tough swing districts who retained their seats on election day. Here are races we consider to be of particular note:
· Alice Underhill (D-Craven) retained her seat in House District 3 by a margin of 49-47. Many people continue to believe that Underhill may be the only Democrat that has the capacity to retain this seat.
· Grier Martin (D-Wake) held District 34 by a healthy margin.
· Ty Harrell (D-Wake) won re-election to House District 41 in what was one of the most targeted districts in the state by both parties.
· Alice Borden (D-Alamance) won a blowout in District 63 despite earlier nervousness among Democrats that this seat may be tough to hold this cycle.
· Cullie Tarleton (D-Watauga) won re-election to the seat (District 93) he captured two years ago in the Boone area.
· Jane Whilden (D-Buncombe) picked up the District 116, which was vacated by environmental Freshman of the Year Charles Thomas.
· Phil Haire (D-Jackson) won an easy victory in House District 119 although he only narrowly held the seat two years ago.
Complete 2008 CCNC endorsements are posted at www.ccnccpac.org and complete results will be available there soon.
Smart Growth Candidate Prevails in Wake County Voting: In addition to the national and state-level races, there were local elections with environmental ramifications across North Carolina, including both county officials and bond issues. We're not ready yet to provide a survey of noteworthy local results, but we do want to mention one, highlighted a week ago in the last 2008 pre-election CIB.
In a bellweather contest for Wake County Commissioner, smart growth advocate Stan Norwalk defeated incumbent Commissioner Kenn Gardner by a margin of 55-45 out of over 400,000 votes cast. Norwalk, a founding leader of the local planned-growth advocacy group WakeUp Wake County, won despite heavy spending on attacks against him. A group called the "N.C. Homeowners Alliance" tried to paint Norwalk as a kind of Mad Taxer because of his support for the use of land transfer taxes to help pay for the costs of public infrastructure required by new development. This so-called "Homeowners Alliance" was financially underwritten by realtor organization contributions in its campaign of anti-Norwalk mailers and robocalls. Their failure in this contest may indicate that voters are beginning to lose patience with such fulminations.
Washington Watch: Transition Team and EPA Rumors
This is the first presidential election which we can recall in which the prevailing candidate has made a major environmental issue one of the centerpieces of his campaign. For Obama, clean energy has not been a secondary topic or a minor commitment. It has been at the heart of his economic action package—in fact, his centerpiece economic proposal is a ten-year, $150 billion plan for investment in solar, wind, biofuels, and efficient vehicles to address oil dependency, fight global warming, and create enduring jobs.
Given that emphasis, it should come as no surprise that environmental leaders are playing a prominent role in the very earliest acts of Obama's transition from campaign to governance. In fact, the head of Obama's transition team, John D. Podesta, is a member of the League of Conservation Voters' (LCV) national board of directors. Podesta is a former chief of staff for the Clinton White House, who currently heads a major progressive policy research foundation, the Center for American Progress. Another member of the Obama transition team, Carol Browner, is former EPA head under Clinton and also a current member of the LCV board of directors. (By the way, CCNC executive director Carrie Clark is another of the 30-member LCV board. Pretty rarified company...)
Obama's emphasis on environmental policy means that the next head of the Environmental Protection Agency is likely to have real influence within his administration. Therefore, we take note of the early rumors on who may be in line for that post. Among the supposed candidates: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., president of the Waterkeeper Alliance and a leading environmental activist. Other names making the list of rumored possibilities include Lisa Jackson, head of New Jersey's Dept. of Environmental Protection; Robert Sussman, former deputy administrator of the EPA under Clinton; Kathleen McGinty, who has been an aide to Al Gore, chair of the Clinton Office of Environmental Policy, and head of the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection; Mary Nichols, chair of the California Air Resources Board; and Dan Esty, a leading Obama energy advisor who heads Yale's Center for Environmental Law and Policy.
11/02/2008
You Know This Election Is Important
[from Dan Besse]
Fellow conservationists,
I was out early yesterday afternoon working an early-voting line. By late afternoon, I was canvassing door-to-door for Obama. I'm going back out again later this afternoon.
You already know why this election is important. It pits the ticket of drill-baby-drill, double-the-nukes, and follow-the-Bush against leaders who understand what we have to do to fix climate change and save our planet for our children.
The early voting numbers are in, and early turnout was extraordinary. More than one-third of registered voters in North Carolina have already voted. Based on the makeup of the turnout so far, best estimates are that Obama is ahead by as much as six points among those who have already voted in our state.
But the other side has just kicked off its famed 72-hour get-out-the-vote machine. They're starting their "surge" (and by now, I'm sick and tired of that word). The outcome of the election for president (and senator, and governor, and on down the line) hangs in the balance of what we do between now and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
That's what WE do to get out our own voters. Today, tomorrow, and Tuesday--please take two hours--or more, if you can--to help get out the vote. Call your local Obama office to sign up for a shift on the phones, on the doors, or at the polls. And if you don't have your local office contact info, here's a link where you can get it:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/nchome
I wouldn't be pestering you two days before the vote if I didn't know that this is both the most important and the closest election in North Carolina in my lifetime. And that what we do now will decide the outcome.
A lot of folks are arguing about whether North Carolina will be red or blue come Tuesday night. Well, I want it to be green! Let's make it happen. Thanks! Dan
Fellow conservationists,
I was out early yesterday afternoon working an early-voting line. By late afternoon, I was canvassing door-to-door for Obama. I'm going back out again later this afternoon.
You already know why this election is important. It pits the ticket of drill-baby-drill, double-the-nukes, and follow-the-Bush against leaders who understand what we have to do to fix climate change and save our planet for our children.
The early voting numbers are in, and early turnout was extraordinary. More than one-third of registered voters in North Carolina have already voted. Based on the makeup of the turnout so far, best estimates are that Obama is ahead by as much as six points among those who have already voted in our state.
But the other side has just kicked off its famed 72-hour get-out-the-vote machine. They're starting their "surge" (and by now, I'm sick and tired of that word). The outcome of the election for president (and senator, and governor, and on down the line) hangs in the balance of what we do between now and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
That's what WE do to get out our own voters. Today, tomorrow, and Tuesday--please take two hours--or more, if you can--to help get out the vote. Call your local Obama office to sign up for a shift on the phones, on the doors, or at the polls. And if you don't have your local office contact info, here's a link where you can get it:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/nchome
I wouldn't be pestering you two days before the vote if I didn't know that this is both the most important and the closest election in North Carolina in my lifetime. And that what we do now will decide the outcome.
A lot of folks are arguing about whether North Carolina will be red or blue come Tuesday night. Well, I want it to be green! Let's make it happen. Thanks! Dan
7/11/2008
Conservation Insider Bulletin, July 11
Conservation Insider Bulletin
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
July 11, 2008
Bush punts greenhouse gas regulation over to the next administration, plus legislative and judicial news, this week in CIB:
--Washington Watch: No Responsibility on His Watch
--Legislative Watch: Watered-down Drought and Stormwater Bills Advance; Farmworker Protection Approved; Beach Hardening Continues to Lurk
--Judicial Watch: Appeals Court Throws Out CAIR
Washington Watch: No Responsibility on His Watch
In another stunning display of arrogant irresponsibility, the Bush White House has successfully forced a protesting EPA to stall off action on regulating greenhouse gases to the next administration. EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson announced today that the agency would release its draft "advanced notice of proposed rulemaking" together with the explanations from higher Administration sources for its rejection of that draft.
This action is remarkable in that the U.S. Supreme Court declared in April 2007 that (contrary to the Bush Administration's assertions) the EPA has the authority and duty to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Pursuant to that directive, the EPA last December sent to the White House a report laying out the technical support for a draft rule, which concluded that greenhouse gas emissions clearly represent a threat to human welfare and further that it is economically justified to regulate them. The White House uber-bureaucrats charged with overseeing the EPA refused to receive the report, which languished in political limbo while other Administration officials prepared their rejection of its reasoning.
In plain language, what the Bush Administration has done is this: tell the Supreme Court that it doesn't like its decision, won't implement it, and by the time anybody can do anything about the refusal, they'll be gone. Here's a link to today's complete Washington Post story laying the matter out in more detail: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/11/AR2008071101703.html?hpid=topnews.
CIB encourages our readers to check it out: It's breathtaking...pun intended.
Legislative Watch: Watered-down Drought and Stormwater Bills Advance; Farmworker Protection Approved; Beach Hardening Continues to Lurk
Watered-down Drought and Stormwater Bills Advance: CCNC's Director of Governmental Relations Dan Crawford reports that stakeholder negotiations have produced a classic compromise on stormwater rules (i.e., a deal with which no one is happy). Under the compromise bill, which has passed the Senate and been recommended by the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee, coastal stormwater rules would be strengthened from the status quo—but not by as much as the Environmental Management Commission (EMC) rules would have done. In the short run, CCNC is backing the compromise. In the longer run, Crawford says to state policy-makers, "We need to let them [the EMC] do their job!"
Drought management legislation has also been brought forward for consideration in compromised form. HB 2499, "Drought/Water Management Recommendations", would specify the governor's emergency powers during water shortages, and increase the authority of the N.C. Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to impose restrictions on local water systems during drought. However, the compromise bill fails to include specific mandatory minimum water conservation measures, and is therefore viewed as a major "missed opportunity" by conservationists.
Farmworker Protection Approved: SB 847, "Prevent Agricultural Pesticide Exposure", has been approved by the legislature and sent to the governor for his signature. Toxic Free NC (formerly the Agricultural Resource Project) hailed the bill as a victory for farmworkers, who will gain explicit protection against retaliation for reporting pesticide safety problems. The bill also strengthens pesticide use record-keeping requirements by employers.
Beach Hardening Continues to Lurk: Rumors continue to circulate that some unspecified "compromise" approach may emerge late regarding SB 599, the so-called "Inlet Stabilization Pilot Program" bill. This legislation represents the latest attempt by a small group of wealthy beachfront property owners to carve out exceptions to North Carolina's anti-hardening policies on its ocean shore. The deceptively-named "pilot programs" authorized by the bill are the same old rock groins which have long been conclusively discredited as beach protection tools. These oceanfront hard structures act only to accumulate sand in front of one spot at the expense of down-current areas. Coastal conservationists vigorously oppose this legislation, which passed the Senate last year and has been held in the House since that time. By barring new oceanfront seawalls, groins, and jetties, North Carolina has protected much of its natural beach shoreline for more than 20 years. This is no time to retreat from that sound policy.
Judicial Watch: Appeals Court Throws Out CAIR
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit this week unanimously struck down the Bush EPA's Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR). CAIR is a controversial rule which requires 28 states (mostly Eastern states) to reduce air pollutant emissions which travel interstate and affect smog and soot levels elsewhere. Some environmental groups defended the EPA's approach, while others challenged it as too slow and overly reliant on a "cap and trade" pollutant-trading approach.
In its ruling, the Court found that the EPA had exceeded its authority, and ordered the entire rule scrapped. The practical impact of the Court's decision will be to delay final rulemaking on the subject matter until the next presidential administration. As of CIB press time today, most environmental groups' comments on the ruling were not available online, although some were reportedly calling for Congressional action in response. Several North Carolina-based groups had criticized CAIR in 2006 as insufficiently protective of North Carolina's air.
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
July 11, 2008
Bush punts greenhouse gas regulation over to the next administration, plus legislative and judicial news, this week in CIB:
--Washington Watch: No Responsibility on His Watch
--Legislative Watch: Watered-down Drought and Stormwater Bills Advance; Farmworker Protection Approved; Beach Hardening Continues to Lurk
--Judicial Watch: Appeals Court Throws Out CAIR
Washington Watch: No Responsibility on His Watch
In another stunning display of arrogant irresponsibility, the Bush White House has successfully forced a protesting EPA to stall off action on regulating greenhouse gases to the next administration. EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson announced today that the agency would release its draft "advanced notice of proposed rulemaking" together with the explanations from higher Administration sources for its rejection of that draft.
This action is remarkable in that the U.S. Supreme Court declared in April 2007 that (contrary to the Bush Administration's assertions) the EPA has the authority and duty to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Pursuant to that directive, the EPA last December sent to the White House a report laying out the technical support for a draft rule, which concluded that greenhouse gas emissions clearly represent a threat to human welfare and further that it is economically justified to regulate them. The White House uber-bureaucrats charged with overseeing the EPA refused to receive the report, which languished in political limbo while other Administration officials prepared their rejection of its reasoning.
In plain language, what the Bush Administration has done is this: tell the Supreme Court that it doesn't like its decision, won't implement it, and by the time anybody can do anything about the refusal, they'll be gone. Here's a link to today's complete Washington Post story laying the matter out in more detail: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/11/AR2008071101703.html?hpid=topnews.
CIB encourages our readers to check it out: It's breathtaking...pun intended.
Legislative Watch: Watered-down Drought and Stormwater Bills Advance; Farmworker Protection Approved; Beach Hardening Continues to Lurk
Watered-down Drought and Stormwater Bills Advance: CCNC's Director of Governmental Relations Dan Crawford reports that stakeholder negotiations have produced a classic compromise on stormwater rules (i.e., a deal with which no one is happy). Under the compromise bill, which has passed the Senate and been recommended by the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee, coastal stormwater rules would be strengthened from the status quo—but not by as much as the Environmental Management Commission (EMC) rules would have done. In the short run, CCNC is backing the compromise. In the longer run, Crawford says to state policy-makers, "We need to let them [the EMC] do their job!"
Drought management legislation has also been brought forward for consideration in compromised form. HB 2499, "Drought/Water Management Recommendations", would specify the governor's emergency powers during water shortages, and increase the authority of the N.C. Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to impose restrictions on local water systems during drought. However, the compromise bill fails to include specific mandatory minimum water conservation measures, and is therefore viewed as a major "missed opportunity" by conservationists.
Farmworker Protection Approved: SB 847, "Prevent Agricultural Pesticide Exposure", has been approved by the legislature and sent to the governor for his signature. Toxic Free NC (formerly the Agricultural Resource Project) hailed the bill as a victory for farmworkers, who will gain explicit protection against retaliation for reporting pesticide safety problems. The bill also strengthens pesticide use record-keeping requirements by employers.
Beach Hardening Continues to Lurk: Rumors continue to circulate that some unspecified "compromise" approach may emerge late regarding SB 599, the so-called "Inlet Stabilization Pilot Program" bill. This legislation represents the latest attempt by a small group of wealthy beachfront property owners to carve out exceptions to North Carolina's anti-hardening policies on its ocean shore. The deceptively-named "pilot programs" authorized by the bill are the same old rock groins which have long been conclusively discredited as beach protection tools. These oceanfront hard structures act only to accumulate sand in front of one spot at the expense of down-current areas. Coastal conservationists vigorously oppose this legislation, which passed the Senate last year and has been held in the House since that time. By barring new oceanfront seawalls, groins, and jetties, North Carolina has protected much of its natural beach shoreline for more than 20 years. This is no time to retreat from that sound policy.
Judicial Watch: Appeals Court Throws Out CAIR
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit this week unanimously struck down the Bush EPA's Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR). CAIR is a controversial rule which requires 28 states (mostly Eastern states) to reduce air pollutant emissions which travel interstate and affect smog and soot levels elsewhere. Some environmental groups defended the EPA's approach, while others challenged it as too slow and overly reliant on a "cap and trade" pollutant-trading approach.
In its ruling, the Court found that the EPA had exceeded its authority, and ordered the entire rule scrapped. The practical impact of the Court's decision will be to delay final rulemaking on the subject matter until the next presidential administration. As of CIB press time today, most environmental groups' comments on the ruling were not available online, although some were reportedly calling for Congressional action in response. Several North Carolina-based groups had criticized CAIR in 2006 as insufficiently protective of North Carolina's air.
6/01/2008
Conservation Insider Bulletin, May 30
Conservation Insider Bulletin
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
May 30, 2008
Key bills are introduced in priority areas good and bad; the Catawba River interbasin lawsuit parties expand; another challenge is filed to EPA's newest ozone standards; and other news, this week in CIB:
--Legislative Watch: More Key Bills Reviewed; Clean Water Lobby Day
--Judicial Watch: Parties Join Catawba Water Suit
--Washington Watch: Ozone Rules Challenged
--Campaign Watch: Both Sides Considering NC Senate Contest
Legislative Watch: More Key Bills Reviewed; Clean Water Lobby Day
More Key Bills Reviewed: As anticipated, legislation to block the new coastal stormwater rules approved by the Environmental Management Commission (EMC) and Rules Review Commission (RRC) has been filed in the General Assembly. The bills, HB 2138 / SB 1967, "Disapprove Coastal Stormwater Rule" are a priority target for opposition by the environmental "Common Agenda" coalition which includes CCNC.
CIB thinks that the Charlotte Observer editorial of 5/29/08 has the right analysis of the disapproval effort: "If you want to know why government doesn't work very well, look no further than House Bill 2138, sponsored by Rep. Pryor Gibson, D-Anson. The bill, also sponsored by 11 other Democrats and Republicans, would stop new stormwater runoff rules designed to protect water quality in coastal counties that are more than 100 miles from his district... Never mind that the rules were carefully crafted over more than two years by experts concerned that existing stormwater runoff rules have been ineffective in halting the decline of water quality along North Carolina's coast.
Never mind that more than 100,000 acres of shellfish beds along the coast have been closed because they are so fouled with bacteria from feces and contaminated with fertilizer runoff and toxic heavy metals from oil and gas along the state's roads. Never mind that health officials sometimes designate areas of the coast that are not safe to swim in on a warm summer's day.
Never mind that in January the N.C. Environmental Management Commission considered, amended, debated and adopted the rules, designed to slow the increase in water pollution in an area where the pace of residential development is rapidly consuming land.
Never mind that the N.C. Rules Review Commission -- which usually takes a hard look at any environmental rules and declines to approve them if its members believe they go too far -- approved the new rules in March. In spite of all that, these legislators now would step in to block those much-needed rules...[T]he simple fact is that coastal construction is proceeding at a break-neck pace, consuming land, creating more hard surfaces and worsening water quality. The state needs stricter coastal stormwater runoff rules, not a legislative cave-in to builders who don't want to be inconvenienced by having to slow the flow of poison into waters that belong to all of us."
Another key defensive effort in the environmental Common Agenda this session will be stopping proposals to gut North Carolina's beach protection policies which bar the construction of new seawalls and other "hardening" of the oceanfront. In particular, environmental groups will focus on opposing SB 599, "Inlet Stabilization Pilot Program", which passed the Senate last year and is currently held in committee in the House. The so-called "pilot program" would simply authorize "terminal groins" to protect threatened private structures--a strategy which is an old, well-known failure, that simply shifts the point of erosion to nearby properties.
On the positive side, environmental groups will support SB 1871 / HB 2526, "Motor Vehicle Emissions Study", an effort to move North Carolina toward adoption of the California "clean cars" standards that will help fight global warming by demanding greater fuel efficiency by vehicles sold in our state.
The water planning/drought management bills reviewed in last week's CIB, HB 2499 / SB 1879, "Drought/Water Management Recommendations", incorporating recommendations from the legislature's Environmental Review Commission, will also receive support from the Common Agenda groups.
Clean Water Lobby Day: Reminder: CCNC encourages concerned conservationists to come out for Clean Water Lobby Day at the General Assembly this Wednesday, June 4 in Raleigh. Focus issues this year will include water management, coastal stormwater rules, and steep-slope development rules in the mountains. The day's activities will begin with a 9 a.m. meeting of conservation advocates at the N.C. History Museum, 4 E. Edenton Street, in Raleigh, and continue with meetings with legislators throughout the day until 3 p.m. For more information, contact the CCNC office via carrie@conservationcouncilnc.org. Clean Water Lobby Day is a cooperative effort sponsored by a coalition of 20 organizations, including CCNC and other conservation groups around North Carolina.
Judicial Watch: Parties Join Catawba Water Suit
The City of Charlotte, Duke Energy, and a water system serving Union and Lancaster counties have been allowed to join as parties in the lawsuit by South Carolina against North Carolina over withdrawals from the Catawba River basin. South Carolina sued North Carolina last year after the N.C. Environmental Management Commission (EMC) partially approved a request by the cities of Concord and Kannapolis to transfer millions of gallons of water per day from the Catawba to the Yadkin basin. The newly authorized parties say that their own withdrawals from the Catawba could be affected by the suit's outcome, but that neither state government fully reflects their interests.
The addition of these parties may simultaneously expand the breadth of issues to be reviewed, and complicate the case's settlement. The "special master" named by the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case allowed the new parties' entry into the case. Since the lawsuit originated as a case between two states, the U.S. Supreme Court has unusual original jurisdiction over the case. Decisions by the designated "special master" are reviewable only by the Supreme Court itself.
Washington Watch: Ozone Rules Challenged
The environmental law group Earthjustice this week filed a second lawsuit challenging EPA's new ozone standards as too weak to protect public health, on behalf of a number of environmental and public health organizations (including the American Lung Association). A similar claim has previously been filed on behalf of 11 states, by Connecticut's state attorney general. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia will hear the case.
Campaign Watch: Both Sides Considering NC Senate Contest
The U.S. Senate seat contest between incumbent U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) and challenger N.C. Sen. Kay Hagan (D-Guilford) has clearly moved onto a front-burner spot for both sides of the struggle for control of the Senate. Recent polls showing the race to be a statistical dead heat have sparked interest by national endorsing groups, including the national League of Conservation Voters (LCV).
On the anti-environmental side, one of the national flat-earth groups which continues to oppose action on global warming, the "Club for Growth", is financing a series of broadcast ads aimed at six senators including Dole. The ads exhort her to oppose legislation coming up for a vote in the U.S. Senate which would mandate American action on climate control. Dole is currently a co-sponsor of the bipartisan legislation. Look for any waffling by Dole on that bill to provide a sense of whether she plans to try to run to the middle or move to the right-wing on environmental issues in this campaign.
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
May 30, 2008
Key bills are introduced in priority areas good and bad; the Catawba River interbasin lawsuit parties expand; another challenge is filed to EPA's newest ozone standards; and other news, this week in CIB:
--Legislative Watch: More Key Bills Reviewed; Clean Water Lobby Day
--Judicial Watch: Parties Join Catawba Water Suit
--Washington Watch: Ozone Rules Challenged
--Campaign Watch: Both Sides Considering NC Senate Contest
Legislative Watch: More Key Bills Reviewed; Clean Water Lobby Day
More Key Bills Reviewed: As anticipated, legislation to block the new coastal stormwater rules approved by the Environmental Management Commission (EMC) and Rules Review Commission (RRC) has been filed in the General Assembly. The bills, HB 2138 / SB 1967, "Disapprove Coastal Stormwater Rule" are a priority target for opposition by the environmental "Common Agenda" coalition which includes CCNC.
CIB thinks that the Charlotte Observer editorial of 5/29/08 has the right analysis of the disapproval effort: "If you want to know why government doesn't work very well, look no further than House Bill 2138, sponsored by Rep. Pryor Gibson, D-Anson. The bill, also sponsored by 11 other Democrats and Republicans, would stop new stormwater runoff rules designed to protect water quality in coastal counties that are more than 100 miles from his district... Never mind that the rules were carefully crafted over more than two years by experts concerned that existing stormwater runoff rules have been ineffective in halting the decline of water quality along North Carolina's coast.
Never mind that more than 100,000 acres of shellfish beds along the coast have been closed because they are so fouled with bacteria from feces and contaminated with fertilizer runoff and toxic heavy metals from oil and gas along the state's roads. Never mind that health officials sometimes designate areas of the coast that are not safe to swim in on a warm summer's day.
Never mind that in January the N.C. Environmental Management Commission considered, amended, debated and adopted the rules, designed to slow the increase in water pollution in an area where the pace of residential development is rapidly consuming land.
Never mind that the N.C. Rules Review Commission -- which usually takes a hard look at any environmental rules and declines to approve them if its members believe they go too far -- approved the new rules in March. In spite of all that, these legislators now would step in to block those much-needed rules...[T]he simple fact is that coastal construction is proceeding at a break-neck pace, consuming land, creating more hard surfaces and worsening water quality. The state needs stricter coastal stormwater runoff rules, not a legislative cave-in to builders who don't want to be inconvenienced by having to slow the flow of poison into waters that belong to all of us."
Another key defensive effort in the environmental Common Agenda this session will be stopping proposals to gut North Carolina's beach protection policies which bar the construction of new seawalls and other "hardening" of the oceanfront. In particular, environmental groups will focus on opposing SB 599, "Inlet Stabilization Pilot Program", which passed the Senate last year and is currently held in committee in the House. The so-called "pilot program" would simply authorize "terminal groins" to protect threatened private structures--a strategy which is an old, well-known failure, that simply shifts the point of erosion to nearby properties.
On the positive side, environmental groups will support SB 1871 / HB 2526, "Motor Vehicle Emissions Study", an effort to move North Carolina toward adoption of the California "clean cars" standards that will help fight global warming by demanding greater fuel efficiency by vehicles sold in our state.
The water planning/drought management bills reviewed in last week's CIB, HB 2499 / SB 1879, "Drought/Water Management Recommendations", incorporating recommendations from the legislature's Environmental Review Commission, will also receive support from the Common Agenda groups.
Clean Water Lobby Day: Reminder: CCNC encourages concerned conservationists to come out for Clean Water Lobby Day at the General Assembly this Wednesday, June 4 in Raleigh. Focus issues this year will include water management, coastal stormwater rules, and steep-slope development rules in the mountains. The day's activities will begin with a 9 a.m. meeting of conservation advocates at the N.C. History Museum, 4 E. Edenton Street, in Raleigh, and continue with meetings with legislators throughout the day until 3 p.m. For more information, contact the CCNC office via carrie@conservationcouncilnc.org. Clean Water Lobby Day is a cooperative effort sponsored by a coalition of 20 organizations, including CCNC and other conservation groups around North Carolina.
Judicial Watch: Parties Join Catawba Water Suit
The City of Charlotte, Duke Energy, and a water system serving Union and Lancaster counties have been allowed to join as parties in the lawsuit by South Carolina against North Carolina over withdrawals from the Catawba River basin. South Carolina sued North Carolina last year after the N.C. Environmental Management Commission (EMC) partially approved a request by the cities of Concord and Kannapolis to transfer millions of gallons of water per day from the Catawba to the Yadkin basin. The newly authorized parties say that their own withdrawals from the Catawba could be affected by the suit's outcome, but that neither state government fully reflects their interests.
The addition of these parties may simultaneously expand the breadth of issues to be reviewed, and complicate the case's settlement. The "special master" named by the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case allowed the new parties' entry into the case. Since the lawsuit originated as a case between two states, the U.S. Supreme Court has unusual original jurisdiction over the case. Decisions by the designated "special master" are reviewable only by the Supreme Court itself.
Washington Watch: Ozone Rules Challenged
The environmental law group Earthjustice this week filed a second lawsuit challenging EPA's new ozone standards as too weak to protect public health, on behalf of a number of environmental and public health organizations (including the American Lung Association). A similar claim has previously been filed on behalf of 11 states, by Connecticut's state attorney general. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia will hear the case.
Campaign Watch: Both Sides Considering NC Senate Contest
The U.S. Senate seat contest between incumbent U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) and challenger N.C. Sen. Kay Hagan (D-Guilford) has clearly moved onto a front-burner spot for both sides of the struggle for control of the Senate. Recent polls showing the race to be a statistical dead heat have sparked interest by national endorsing groups, including the national League of Conservation Voters (LCV).
On the anti-environmental side, one of the national flat-earth groups which continues to oppose action on global warming, the "Club for Growth", is financing a series of broadcast ads aimed at six senators including Dole. The ads exhort her to oppose legislation coming up for a vote in the U.S. Senate which would mandate American action on climate control. Dole is currently a co-sponsor of the bipartisan legislation. Look for any waffling by Dole on that bill to provide a sense of whether she plans to try to run to the middle or move to the right-wing on environmental issues in this campaign.
5/10/2008
Conservation Insider Bulletin, May 9
Conservation Insider Bulletin
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
May 9, 2008
We examine the results of the NC primary in races of environmental interest, and take a look at the status of national environmental endorsements, this week in CIB:
--Campaign Watch, NC: CCNC Endorsements Fare Well in Primary
--Campaign Watch, Washington: FOE Endorses Obama; LCV's Endorsements List
Campaign Watch, NC: CCNC Endorsements Fare Well in Primary
CCNC's endorsed candidates fared well in the primary voting this week, with 10 of 11 of those endorsed winning their races. CCNC Political Director Brownie Newman reports:
Lt. Governor-- In spite of a strong campaign, we were sorry to see Dan Besse lose his bid for Lt. Gov. The race was won by Sen. Walter Dalton. He will face Robert Pittenger in November.
Now the good news. We won all these contests:
State Treasurer--Janet Cowell defeated a well-financed opponent, Buncombe County Commissioner David Young.
Cowell, 47%, 596,000
Young, 36%, 456,000
Weisel, 17%, 219,000
Senate District 5-- Donald Davis came in first place among the five candidates. He will face a run-off against Kathy Taft as no one garnered more than 40% of the vote. The strong showing by Davis indicates he will be the front-runner in the run-off..
Donald Davis, 36%, 10,180
Kathy Taft, 24%, 6846
Ed Wilson, 14%, 3866
Tony Moore, 12%, 3504
Charles Johnson, 6%, 1564
Senate District 16-- Josh Stein won the race to fill Janet Cowell's vacant seat. His opponent, Jack Nichols was endorsed by the NC Homebuilders in the final days of the race.
Stein: 49%, 19,063
Nichols, 40%, 15692
Senate District 25-- Sen. Ellie Kinnaird defeated challenger Moses Carey by 27,084 to 14,982
Senate District 28-- Sen. Katie Dorsett defeated challenger Bruce Davis by 20,509 to 11,063.
House 7-- Rep. Angela Bryant defeated challenger Jean Reaves by 10,686 to 3360.
House 100-- Rep. Tricia Cotham defeated challenger Lloyd Scher by 7679 to 2074
House 119 -- Rep. Phil Haire defeated Avram Friedman by 8659 to 3283.
Our two pro-conservation Republican Senators who faced primary races were also re-elected. In Senate District 36, Sen. Fletcher Hartsell defeated Thomas Hill by 7115 to 3313. In Senate District 42, Sen. Austin Allran defeated challenger Kitty Barnes, who is Chair of the Catawba County Commission, by 1
Campaign Watch, Washington: FOE Endorses Obama; LCV's Endorsements List
FOE Endorses Obama: Friends of the Earth (FOE) this week announced its endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama for president. The national environmental organization especially cited Obama's energy positions as a strong factor in its decision. In a news release, FOE president Brent Blackwelder said, " The 'gas tax holiday' debate is a defining moment in the presidential race. The two other candidates responded with sham solutions that won't ease pain at the pump, but Senator Obama refused to play that typical Washington game. Instead, Obama called for real solutions that would make transportation more affordable and curb global warming. He showed the courage and candor we expect from a president." FOE also cited Obama's broad pro-environment record, including a 96 per cent voting score from the League of Conservation Voters. FOE had previously endorsed John Edwards in the presidential contest. More info on FOE's endorsement can be found at http://www.foeaction.org/Obama.
LCV's Endorsements List: The national League of Conservation Voters (LCV) has made three Senate and 18 House endorsements so far this year. The following are LCV's 2008 endorsements to date:
Senate:
Mark Udall (D) CO; Jeanne Shaheen (D) NH; Tom Udall (D) NM
House:
Jerry McNerney (D) CA-11; Joe Courtney (D) CT-02; Mike Castle (R) DE-AL; Bill Foster (D) IL-14; Chellie Pingree (D) ME-01; Wayne Gilchrest** (R) MD-01; Donna Edwards** (D) MD-04; Vern Ehlers (R) MI-03; Mark Schauer (D) MI-07; Gary Peters (D) MI-09; Kay Barnes (D) MO-06; Larry Kissell (D) NC-08; Frank Lobiondo (R) NJ-02; Martin Heinrich (D) NM-01; Ben Ray Lujan** (D) NM-03; Stephen Black** (D) OH-02; Victoria Wulsin** (D) OH-02; Tom Brinkman** (R) OH-02.
[KEY: ** = Primary Endorsement; Italics = Special Election Endorsement]
Ongoing endorsement announcements by LCV may be monitored at its website, http://lcv.org/campaigns/endorsements/.
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
May 9, 2008
We examine the results of the NC primary in races of environmental interest, and take a look at the status of national environmental endorsements, this week in CIB:
--Campaign Watch, NC: CCNC Endorsements Fare Well in Primary
--Campaign Watch, Washington: FOE Endorses Obama; LCV's Endorsements List
Campaign Watch, NC: CCNC Endorsements Fare Well in Primary
CCNC's endorsed candidates fared well in the primary voting this week, with 10 of 11 of those endorsed winning their races. CCNC Political Director Brownie Newman reports:
Lt. Governor-- In spite of a strong campaign, we were sorry to see Dan Besse lose his bid for Lt. Gov. The race was won by Sen. Walter Dalton. He will face Robert Pittenger in November.
Now the good news. We won all these contests:
State Treasurer--Janet Cowell defeated a well-financed opponent, Buncombe County Commissioner David Young.
Cowell, 47%, 596,000
Young, 36%, 456,000
Weisel, 17%, 219,000
Senate District 5-- Donald Davis came in first place among the five candidates. He will face a run-off against Kathy Taft as no one garnered more than 40% of the vote. The strong showing by Davis indicates he will be the front-runner in the run-off..
Donald Davis, 36%, 10,180
Kathy Taft, 24%, 6846
Ed Wilson, 14%, 3866
Tony Moore, 12%, 3504
Charles Johnson, 6%, 1564
Senate District 16-- Josh Stein won the race to fill Janet Cowell's vacant seat. His opponent, Jack Nichols was endorsed by the NC Homebuilders in the final days of the race.
Stein: 49%, 19,063
Nichols, 40%, 15692
Senate District 25-- Sen. Ellie Kinnaird defeated challenger Moses Carey by 27,084 to 14,982
Senate District 28-- Sen. Katie Dorsett defeated challenger Bruce Davis by 20,509 to 11,063.
House 7-- Rep. Angela Bryant defeated challenger Jean Reaves by 10,686 to 3360.
House 100-- Rep. Tricia Cotham defeated challenger Lloyd Scher by 7679 to 2074
House 119 -- Rep. Phil Haire defeated Avram Friedman by 8659 to 3283.
Our two pro-conservation Republican Senators who faced primary races were also re-elected. In Senate District 36, Sen. Fletcher Hartsell defeated Thomas Hill by 7115 to 3313. In Senate District 42, Sen. Austin Allran defeated challenger Kitty Barnes, who is Chair of the Catawba County Commission, by 1
Campaign Watch, Washington: FOE Endorses Obama; LCV's Endorsements List
FOE Endorses Obama: Friends of the Earth (FOE) this week announced its endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama for president. The national environmental organization especially cited Obama's energy positions as a strong factor in its decision. In a news release, FOE president Brent Blackwelder said, " The 'gas tax holiday' debate is a defining moment in the presidential race. The two other candidates responded with sham solutions that won't ease pain at the pump, but Senator Obama refused to play that typical Washington game. Instead, Obama called for real solutions that would make transportation more affordable and curb global warming. He showed the courage and candor we expect from a president." FOE also cited Obama's broad pro-environment record, including a 96 per cent voting score from the League of Conservation Voters. FOE had previously endorsed John Edwards in the presidential contest. More info on FOE's endorsement can be found at http://www.foeaction.org/Obama.
LCV's Endorsements List: The national League of Conservation Voters (LCV) has made three Senate and 18 House endorsements so far this year. The following are LCV's 2008 endorsements to date:
Senate:
Mark Udall (D) CO; Jeanne Shaheen (D) NH; Tom Udall (D) NM
House:
Jerry McNerney (D) CA-11; Joe Courtney (D) CT-02; Mike Castle (R) DE-AL; Bill Foster (D) IL-14; Chellie Pingree (D) ME-01; Wayne Gilchrest** (R) MD-01; Donna Edwards** (D) MD-04; Vern Ehlers (R) MI-03; Mark Schauer (D) MI-07; Gary Peters (D) MI-09; Kay Barnes (D) MO-06; Larry Kissell (D) NC-08; Frank Lobiondo (R) NJ-02; Martin Heinrich (D) NM-01; Ben Ray Lujan** (D) NM-03; Stephen Black** (D) OH-02; Victoria Wulsin** (D) OH-02; Tom Brinkman** (R) OH-02.
[KEY: ** = Primary Endorsement; Italics = Special Election Endorsement]
Ongoing endorsement announcements by LCV may be monitored at its website, http://lcv.org/campaigns/endorsements/.
5/07/2008
Letter from Dan Besse
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Thank you!
Thank you to everyone who supported my run for the office of North Carolina's Lieutenant Governor!
And thanks to everyone who participated in the democratic process, regardless of who you supported. This has been an extraordinary election year so far, and it is not over yet.
You have already changed the face of public debate in our state. From now forward, candidates for statewide office in North Carolina will have to address an expanded set of fundamental questions.
Certainly, economic opportunity, jobs, and basic educational quality will continue to be must-address needs. In addition, from this year forward, Democratic candidates must respond to these critical questions as well:
How will we ensure that every person in our state receives the health care (including mental health care) that basic human compassion and dignity require?
How will we protect our clean air and water, and our green and productive land, in ways that will ensure that we are good stewards for future generations?
How will we ensure that economic and educational opportunity is spread to historically disadvantaged communities, reaching out to every racial and ethnic community in our state?
How will we continue to expand the umbrella of fundamental human and civil rights to include every person, regardless of gender or sexual orientation?
How will we meet the needs of every worker in our state to fair wages, safe and healthy workplaces, and economic security?
How will we address the changing face of our state's cities and towns, to meet the challenges of growth?
I look forward to continuing to work with all of you, this year and beyond, to see that those questions are addressed, and never fade back into the unspoken background of unmet needs.
I have congratulated Walter Dalton and his family and staff for their dignified and successful campaign, and assured him that as our Democratic nominee he will have my strong personal support . I congratulate Pat Smathers and Hampton Dellinger and their families and supporters as well—good, issue-oriented, strong campaigns all!
I especially want to thank everyone who worked with me over the past year and a half:
--My own family—Kay, my parents, and all our family members—whose support and belief made it possible for me to run.
--My extraordinary staff and other volunteers, who worked tirelessly and with great skill against long financial odds.
--My enthusiastic and delightful supporters around our state, who spoke up with passion for our campaign and the concerns which we are committed to seeing addressed.
--My financial contributors (often the same as the first three groups!) who made it possible to physically run a campaign and get our message out around the state.
--The outstanding organizations who believed in our cause and stuck your necks way out against the odds to say so: Progressive Democrats, Conservation Council, Sierra Club, Fire Fighters, Black Pastors, Democracy for America; and to the media organizations who said, we like his messag e and give this guy a chance: The Chronicle, Yes! Weekly, and Winston-Salem Journal.
So to close a long and heart-felt letter, I say once again:
Thank you! Thank you to all for your enthusiasm and active participation!
Please stay involved, as will I. I look forward to continuing public service as a Winston-Salem City Council Member and active citizen in our state and nation.
Dan
PS: I'd say, "I'll be back..."—but I'm not going away in the first place!
Dan Besse 2008
www.danbesse2008.org
Thank you!
Thank you to everyone who supported my run for the office of North Carolina's Lieutenant Governor!
And thanks to everyone who participated in the democratic process, regardless of who you supported. This has been an extraordinary election year so far, and it is not over yet.
You have already changed the face of public debate in our state. From now forward, candidates for statewide office in North Carolina will have to address an expanded set of fundamental questions.
Certainly, economic opportunity, jobs, and basic educational quality will continue to be must-address needs. In addition, from this year forward, Democratic candidates must respond to these critical questions as well:
How will we ensure that every person in our state receives the health care (including mental health care) that basic human compassion and dignity require?
How will we protect our clean air and water, and our green and productive land, in ways that will ensure that we are good stewards for future generations?
How will we ensure that economic and educational opportunity is spread to historically disadvantaged communities, reaching out to every racial and ethnic community in our state?
How will we continue to expand the umbrella of fundamental human and civil rights to include every person, regardless of gender or sexual orientation?
How will we meet the needs of every worker in our state to fair wages, safe and healthy workplaces, and economic security?
How will we address the changing face of our state's cities and towns, to meet the challenges of growth?
I look forward to continuing to work with all of you, this year and beyond, to see that those questions are addressed, and never fade back into the unspoken background of unmet needs.
I have congratulated Walter Dalton and his family and staff for their dignified and successful campaign, and assured him that as our Democratic nominee he will have my strong personal support . I congratulate Pat Smathers and Hampton Dellinger and their families and supporters as well—good, issue-oriented, strong campaigns all!
I especially want to thank everyone who worked with me over the past year and a half:
--My own family—Kay, my parents, and all our family members—whose support and belief made it possible for me to run.
--My extraordinary staff and other volunteers, who worked tirelessly and with great skill against long financial odds.
--My enthusiastic and delightful supporters around our state, who spoke up with passion for our campaign and the concerns which we are committed to seeing addressed.
--My financial contributors (often the same as the first three groups!) who made it possible to physically run a campaign and get our message out around the state.
--The outstanding organizations who believed in our cause and stuck your necks way out against the odds to say so: Progressive Democrats, Conservation Council, Sierra Club, Fire Fighters, Black Pastors, Democracy for America; and to the media organizations who said, we like his messag e and give this guy a chance: The Chronicle, Yes! Weekly, and Winston-Salem Journal.
So to close a long and heart-felt letter, I say once again:
Thank you! Thank you to all for your enthusiasm and active participation!
Please stay involved, as will I. I look forward to continuing public service as a Winston-Salem City Council Member and active citizen in our state and nation.
Dan
PS: I'd say, "I'll be back..."—but I'm not going away in the first place!
Dan Besse 2008
www.danbesse2008.org
5/05/2008
Conservation Insider Bulletin, May 2
Conservation Insider Bulletin
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
May 2, 2008
Primary day is this Tuesday, May 6.
--Campaign Watch: CCNC's Pre-Primary Endorsements Wrapup
CCNC this week announced a list of legislators who do not face a primary election, but who are being recommended for support based on their strong environmental voting record. All of the named legislators have CCNC-scored voting records of more than 90 percent pro-environment.
The following legislators without primary opposition make CCNC's early support roll on this basis:
NC House:
Rep. Martha Alexander (D-Mecklenburg)
Rep. Susan Fisher (D-Buncombe)
Rep. Rick Glazier (D-Cumberland)
Speaker Joe Hackney (D-Orange)
Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford)
Rep. Carolyn Justice (R-Pender)
Rep. Paul Luebke (D-Durham)
Rep. Ray Rapp (D-Madison)
Rep. Deborah Ross (D-Wake)
Rep. Jennifer Weiss (D-Wake)
NC Senate:
Sen. Bob Atwater (D-Chatham)
Sen. Marc Basnight (D-Dare)
Sen. Linda Garrou (D-Forsyth)
Previously, CCNC had finalized primary endorsements in six State Senate and two State House primary contests for 2008:
S5 (Democrat) (Green, Pitt, Wayne), Don Davis
S16 (Democrat) (Wake), Josh Stein
S23 (Democrat) (Orange, Person), Sen. Ellie Kinnaird
S28 (Democrat) (Guilford), Sen. Katie Dorsett
S36 (Republican) (Cabarrus, Iredell), Sen. Fletcher Hartsell
S42 (Republican) (Catawba, Iredell), Sen. Austin Allran
H7 (Democrat) (Halifax, Nash), Rep. Angela Bryant
H119 (Democrat) (Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain), Rep. Phil Haire
S5 and S16 are open seats created by the retirement of Sen. John Kerr (D-Wayne) and the decision by Sen. Janet Cowell (D-Wake) to run for State Treasurer. The other six contests are incumbents facing primary challengers. CCNC legislative endorsements are based on questionnaire responses, incumbents' voting records, and candidates' other environmental/community work records related to the environment.
Also, CCNC previously announced statewide office endorsements in two contests: Dan Besse for Lieutenant Governor and Janet Cowell for State Treasurer (both in the Democratic primary).
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
May 2, 2008
Primary day is this Tuesday, May 6.
--Campaign Watch: CCNC's Pre-Primary Endorsements Wrapup
CCNC this week announced a list of legislators who do not face a primary election, but who are being recommended for support based on their strong environmental voting record. All of the named legislators have CCNC-scored voting records of more than 90 percent pro-environment.
The following legislators without primary opposition make CCNC's early support roll on this basis:
NC House:
Rep. Martha Alexander (D-Mecklenburg)
Rep. Susan Fisher (D-Buncombe)
Rep. Rick Glazier (D-Cumberland)
Speaker Joe Hackney (D-Orange)
Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford)
Rep. Carolyn Justice (R-Pender)
Rep. Paul Luebke (D-Durham)
Rep. Ray Rapp (D-Madison)
Rep. Deborah Ross (D-Wake)
Rep. Jennifer Weiss (D-Wake)
NC Senate:
Sen. Bob Atwater (D-Chatham)
Sen. Marc Basnight (D-Dare)
Sen. Linda Garrou (D-Forsyth)
Previously, CCNC had finalized primary endorsements in six State Senate and two State House primary contests for 2008:
S5 (Democrat) (Green, Pitt, Wayne), Don Davis
S16 (Democrat) (Wake), Josh Stein
S23 (Democrat) (Orange, Person), Sen. Ellie Kinnaird
S28 (Democrat) (Guilford), Sen. Katie Dorsett
S36 (Republican) (Cabarrus, Iredell), Sen. Fletcher Hartsell
S42 (Republican) (Catawba, Iredell), Sen. Austin Allran
H7 (Democrat) (Halifax, Nash), Rep. Angela Bryant
H119 (Democrat) (Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain), Rep. Phil Haire
S5 and S16 are open seats created by the retirement of Sen. John Kerr (D-Wayne) and the decision by Sen. Janet Cowell (D-Wake) to run for State Treasurer. The other six contests are incumbents facing primary challengers. CCNC legislative endorsements are based on questionnaire responses, incumbents' voting records, and candidates' other environmental/community work records related to the environment.
Also, CCNC previously announced statewide office endorsements in two contests: Dan Besse for Lieutenant Governor and Janet Cowell for State Treasurer (both in the Democratic primary).
4/28/2008
Conservation Insider Bulletin, April 25
Conservation Insider Bulletin
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
April 25, 2008
CCNC announces its Primary 2008 legislative endorsements, plus we provide an early look at key topics for the legislative short session, this week in CIB:
--Campaign Watch: CCNC Announces Legislative Endorsements
--Legislative Watch: Four Items for the "Common Agenda"
--Movement News: PestEd Becomes ToxicFreeNC
Campaign Watch: CCNC Announces Legislative Endorsements
CCNC has finalized primary endorsements in six State Senate and two State House contests for 2008.
Here are the endorsements, listed by chamber/district, party, and counties included (in whole or in part):
S5 (Democrat) (Green, Pitt, Wayne), Don Davis
S16 (Democrat) (Wake), Josh Stein
S23 (Democrat) (Orange, Person), Sen. Ellie Kinnaird
S28 (Democrat) (Guilford), Sen. Katie Dorsett
S36 (Republican) (Cabarrus, Iredell), Sen. Fletcher Hartsell
S42 (Republican) (Catawba, Iredell), Sen. Austin Allran
H7 (Democrat) (Halifax, Nash), Rep. Angela Bryant
H119 (Democrat) (Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain), Rep. Phil Haire
S5 and S16 are open seats created by the retirement of Sen. John Kerr (D-Wayne) and the decision by Sen. Janet Cowell (D-Wake) to run for State Treasurer. The other six contests are incumbents facing primary challengers. CCNC legislative endorsements are based on questionnaire responses, incumbents' voting records, and candidates' other environmental/community work records related to the environment.
CCNC previously announced statewide office endorsements in two contests: Dan Besse for Lieutenant Governor and Janet Cowell for State Treasurer (both in the Democratic primary).
Legislative Watch: Four Items for the "Common Agenda"
In its legislative efforts, CCNC whenever possible joins with other active environmental citizen groups to support a "Common Agenda". For the 2008 legislative "short session" beginning in May, the cooperating groups have identified four key issues: clean cars, water resources, coastal stormwater rules, and beach hardening.
First, CCNC will support "clean cars" legislation to require new vehicles sold in our state to meet the tighter emissions standards used in California. About a dozen states nationwide have adopted similar standards. This issue is currently tied up in federal court, but clean air advocates expect that roadblock to be cleared up once the Bush Administration comes to an end. All three remaining major presidential candidates say that they will allow states which so choose to implement the tighter standards. These will be a particular boost for efforts to control global warming.
CCNC will also support water resources management legislation to improve our state's drought management and planning in this critical resource area. Draft language is still under preparation by the governor's office and the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Stormwater rules for the coastal region continue to be a hot topic. Stronger stormwater management rules for the coast were adopted by the Environmental Management Commission (EMC) and approved by the Rules Review Commission (RRC), but are on hold until August 2009 pending legislative review. Negotiations with the usual objecting entities, lobbying groups representing the state development industry, are underway at the General Assembly.
Finally, CCNC will work to block bad legislation which would undercut North Carolina's long-standing policy against new beach hardening structures—groins, seawalls, and the like. A particularly bad proposal to permit groin "pilot projects" (the usual ploy for starting a string of exceptions) has passed the Senate and is pending in the House.
Movement News: PestEd Becomes ToxicFreeNC
The Agricultural Resources Center & Pesticide Education Project (PestEd) has changed its name to Toxic Free NC. Details are available on the website under the new name: www.toxicfreenc.org.
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
April 25, 2008
CCNC announces its Primary 2008 legislative endorsements, plus we provide an early look at key topics for the legislative short session, this week in CIB:
--Campaign Watch: CCNC Announces Legislative Endorsements
--Legislative Watch: Four Items for the "Common Agenda"
--Movement News: PestEd Becomes ToxicFreeNC
Campaign Watch: CCNC Announces Legislative Endorsements
CCNC has finalized primary endorsements in six State Senate and two State House contests for 2008.
Here are the endorsements, listed by chamber/district, party, and counties included (in whole or in part):
S5 (Democrat) (Green, Pitt, Wayne), Don Davis
S16 (Democrat) (Wake), Josh Stein
S23 (Democrat) (Orange, Person), Sen. Ellie Kinnaird
S28 (Democrat) (Guilford), Sen. Katie Dorsett
S36 (Republican) (Cabarrus, Iredell), Sen. Fletcher Hartsell
S42 (Republican) (Catawba, Iredell), Sen. Austin Allran
H7 (Democrat) (Halifax, Nash), Rep. Angela Bryant
H119 (Democrat) (Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain), Rep. Phil Haire
S5 and S16 are open seats created by the retirement of Sen. John Kerr (D-Wayne) and the decision by Sen. Janet Cowell (D-Wake) to run for State Treasurer. The other six contests are incumbents facing primary challengers. CCNC legislative endorsements are based on questionnaire responses, incumbents' voting records, and candidates' other environmental/community work records related to the environment.
CCNC previously announced statewide office endorsements in two contests: Dan Besse for Lieutenant Governor and Janet Cowell for State Treasurer (both in the Democratic primary).
Legislative Watch: Four Items for the "Common Agenda"
In its legislative efforts, CCNC whenever possible joins with other active environmental citizen groups to support a "Common Agenda". For the 2008 legislative "short session" beginning in May, the cooperating groups have identified four key issues: clean cars, water resources, coastal stormwater rules, and beach hardening.
First, CCNC will support "clean cars" legislation to require new vehicles sold in our state to meet the tighter emissions standards used in California. About a dozen states nationwide have adopted similar standards. This issue is currently tied up in federal court, but clean air advocates expect that roadblock to be cleared up once the Bush Administration comes to an end. All three remaining major presidential candidates say that they will allow states which so choose to implement the tighter standards. These will be a particular boost for efforts to control global warming.
CCNC will also support water resources management legislation to improve our state's drought management and planning in this critical resource area. Draft language is still under preparation by the governor's office and the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Stormwater rules for the coastal region continue to be a hot topic. Stronger stormwater management rules for the coast were adopted by the Environmental Management Commission (EMC) and approved by the Rules Review Commission (RRC), but are on hold until August 2009 pending legislative review. Negotiations with the usual objecting entities, lobbying groups representing the state development industry, are underway at the General Assembly.
Finally, CCNC will work to block bad legislation which would undercut North Carolina's long-standing policy against new beach hardening structures—groins, seawalls, and the like. A particularly bad proposal to permit groin "pilot projects" (the usual ploy for starting a string of exceptions) has passed the Senate and is pending in the House.
Movement News: PestEd Becomes ToxicFreeNC
The Agricultural Resources Center & Pesticide Education Project (PestEd) has changed its name to Toxic Free NC. Details are available on the website under the new name: www.toxicfreenc.org.
Another Endorsement for Besse
The Chronicle endorses Dan Besse!
The Chronicle, one of North Carolina's leading African-American owned and published newspapers, has just endorsed Dan Besse for Lieutenant Governor!
All of us with the Besse campaign are delighted by this important endorsement. It's especially gratifying because it comes from leaders who have watched Dan at work for years, and who know the quality of his service to all of the people of our diverse communities.
We can't improve on the way The Chronicle said it, so we'll just quote them here:
"The crowded Democratic field for Lieutenant Governor doesn't have a shortage of qualified candidates either, but our choice is clear. Dan Besse has been a community-minded, dedicated member of the Winston-Salem City Council for more than six years and will bring those same qualities and more to the office of lieutenant governor.
Too many of those seeking elected office today, do so for personal glory and their own egos. Besse is what an elected official should be. Helping to make his city and state and the people who reside in them better are Besse's only motivations. In the race for lieutenant governor, Besse doesn't have the most campaign money or name recognition, but he has the most heart and the most zeal to work hard for the residents of North Carolina."
http://www.wschronicle.com//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1112&Itemid=40
The Chronicle, one of North Carolina's leading African-American owned and published newspapers, has just endorsed Dan Besse for Lieutenant Governor!
All of us with the Besse campaign are delighted by this important endorsement. It's especially gratifying because it comes from leaders who have watched Dan at work for years, and who know the quality of his service to all of the people of our diverse communities.
We can't improve on the way The Chronicle said it, so we'll just quote them here:
"The crowded Democratic field for Lieutenant Governor doesn't have a shortage of qualified candidates either, but our choice is clear. Dan Besse has been a community-minded, dedicated member of the Winston-Salem City Council for more than six years and will bring those same qualities and more to the office of lieutenant governor.
Too many of those seeking elected office today, do so for personal glory and their own egos. Besse is what an elected official should be. Helping to make his city and state and the people who reside in them better are Besse's only motivations. In the race for lieutenant governor, Besse doesn't have the most campaign money or name recognition, but he has the most heart and the most zeal to work hard for the residents of North Carolina."
http://www.wschronicle.com//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1112&Itemid=40
4/22/2008
Conservation Insider Bulletin, April 18
Conservation Insider Bulletin
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
April 18, 2008
We have legislative news, three items of campaign note coming up next week, and a deal on beach driving, this week in CIB:
--Legislative Watch: Anti-Impact Fee Bill Not Moving
--Campaign Watch: CCNC Earth Day Event; Obama/Clinton Environmental Advisors to Meet in Durham; CCNC to Announce Legislative Endorsements
--Judicial Watch: Deal Reached in Beach Driving Case
Legislative Watch: Anti-Impact Fee Bill Not Moving
A leading environmental advocate in the N.C. House, Rep. Paul Luebke (D-Durham), says that legislation stripping local governments of their ability to impose impact fees on new development isn't getting out of his committee. Luebke chairs the House Finance Committee.
The legislation was introduced at the behest of the Home Builders Association, which regularly fights against the authority of local governments to levy impact fees. The bill was approved by the N.C. Senate last summer, and is currently held in the House Finance Committee. It is eligible for further consideration during the legislative "short session" starting in May.
For the full text of the article on this issue in the Durham Herald-Sun, see http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-944278.cfm.
Campaign Watch: CCNC Earth Day Event; Obama/Clinton Environmental Advisors to Meet in Durham; CCNC to Announce Legislative Endorsements
CCNC Earth Day Event: CCNC is holding an Earth Day Celebration to support its political action work, this Tuesday, April 22. The event will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Whitespace Gallery, 401 E. 4th St., Winston-Salem. RSVPs are requested to 919-839-0978 or volunteer@conservationcouncilnc.org.
Obama/Clinton Environmental Advisors to Meet in Durham: The environmental advisors to presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will meet for a public "conversation" at Duke University this Friday, April 25. The event is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Love Auditorium at Duke's Levine Science and Research Center. More info is available from Megan Dawson at the Nicholas Institute, Megan.Dawson@duke.edu.
CCNC to Announce Legislative Endorsements: CCNC is wrapping up its primary endorsements process for 2008. CIB expects to be able to carry the CCNC legislative endorsements in our edition this coming Friday, April 25. CCNC has already announced statewide endorsements of Dan Besse for Lieutenant Governor and Janet Cowell for State Treasurer (both in the Democratic primary).
Judicial Watch: Deal Reached in Beach Driving Suit
In the dispute over beach driving in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, a tentative settlement deal has been reached between environmental groups and the National Park Service. Groups represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) last year sued the National Park Service over lax rules which permit disruption of important bird nesting habitat.
The settlement (which is still subject to approval by the federal judge presiding over the case) would increase seasonal restrictions on vehicle use along a number of beach areas. Conservationists hope that the new restrictions will help give several declining bird populations the chance to rebound in these areas.
More discussion on the settlement can be found at http://www.heraldsun.com/state/6-943349.cfm.
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
April 18, 2008
We have legislative news, three items of campaign note coming up next week, and a deal on beach driving, this week in CIB:
--Legislative Watch: Anti-Impact Fee Bill Not Moving
--Campaign Watch: CCNC Earth Day Event; Obama/Clinton Environmental Advisors to Meet in Durham; CCNC to Announce Legislative Endorsements
--Judicial Watch: Deal Reached in Beach Driving Case
Legislative Watch: Anti-Impact Fee Bill Not Moving
A leading environmental advocate in the N.C. House, Rep. Paul Luebke (D-Durham), says that legislation stripping local governments of their ability to impose impact fees on new development isn't getting out of his committee. Luebke chairs the House Finance Committee.
The legislation was introduced at the behest of the Home Builders Association, which regularly fights against the authority of local governments to levy impact fees. The bill was approved by the N.C. Senate last summer, and is currently held in the House Finance Committee. It is eligible for further consideration during the legislative "short session" starting in May.
For the full text of the article on this issue in the Durham Herald-Sun, see http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-944278.cfm.
Campaign Watch: CCNC Earth Day Event; Obama/Clinton Environmental Advisors to Meet in Durham; CCNC to Announce Legislative Endorsements
CCNC Earth Day Event: CCNC is holding an Earth Day Celebration to support its political action work, this Tuesday, April 22. The event will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Whitespace Gallery, 401 E. 4th St., Winston-Salem. RSVPs are requested to 919-839-0978 or volunteer@conservationcouncilnc.org.
Obama/Clinton Environmental Advisors to Meet in Durham: The environmental advisors to presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will meet for a public "conversation" at Duke University this Friday, April 25. The event is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Love Auditorium at Duke's Levine Science and Research Center. More info is available from Megan Dawson at the Nicholas Institute, Megan.Dawson@duke.edu.
CCNC to Announce Legislative Endorsements: CCNC is wrapping up its primary endorsements process for 2008. CIB expects to be able to carry the CCNC legislative endorsements in our edition this coming Friday, April 25. CCNC has already announced statewide endorsements of Dan Besse for Lieutenant Governor and Janet Cowell for State Treasurer (both in the Democratic primary).
Judicial Watch: Deal Reached in Beach Driving Suit
In the dispute over beach driving in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, a tentative settlement deal has been reached between environmental groups and the National Park Service. Groups represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) last year sued the National Park Service over lax rules which permit disruption of important bird nesting habitat.
The settlement (which is still subject to approval by the federal judge presiding over the case) would increase seasonal restrictions on vehicle use along a number of beach areas. Conservationists hope that the new restrictions will help give several declining bird populations the chance to rebound in these areas.
More discussion on the settlement can be found at http://www.heraldsun.com/state/6-943349.cfm.
4/20/2008
More Endorsements for Dan Besse
More endorsements for Dan from around North Carolina!
As the primary counts down toward two weeks to go until May 6, we're adding still more endorsements for Dan from around our state!
In Greensboro, the members of Progressive Democrats of America (Greensboro Chapter) have endorsed Dan. Thanks friends!
Meanwhile, up in our mountains, Democracy for America (Asheville Chapter) has overwhelmingly voted to endorse Dan Besse for Lieutenant Governor. Thanks again!
As shown by this kind of rising excitement, our campaign is building toward a peak--to win on May 6. That's why we're putting out our strongest call yet for volunteers for polling place work--both on May 6, and starting now for early voting sites.
If you can help as a volunteer, know that you will be the deciding factor in this race!
If you haven't already, please fill out the form below and return it to coordinator@danbesse.org.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
VOLUNTEER FORM
___I will help distribute signs to polling places.
___I will help greet voters at an early voting site.
___I will help greet voters at the polls on May 6.
___I will help recruit pollworkers for May 6.
NAME:
COUNTY:
PHONE:
EMAIL:
------------------------------------------------------------------
Endorsements for Dan Besse now include the following:
--Winston-Salem Journal
--Yes Weekly
--N.C. Chapter of the Sierra Club
--Progressive Democrats of N.C.
--Conservation Council of N.C.
--Progressive Democrats of America (Greensboro)
--Democracy for America (Asheville)
For more information on Dan Besse, you can always go to www.danbesse2008.org.
We're moving! Thanks very much for your support!
Christine Toole, Campaign Manager
Dan Besse for Lieutenant Governor
As the primary counts down toward two weeks to go until May 6, we're adding still more endorsements for Dan from around our state!
In Greensboro, the members of Progressive Democrats of America (Greensboro Chapter) have endorsed Dan. Thanks friends!
Meanwhile, up in our mountains, Democracy for America (Asheville Chapter) has overwhelmingly voted to endorse Dan Besse for Lieutenant Governor. Thanks again!
As shown by this kind of rising excitement, our campaign is building toward a peak--to win on May 6. That's why we're putting out our strongest call yet for volunteers for polling place work--both on May 6, and starting now for early voting sites.
If you can help as a volunteer, know that you will be the deciding factor in this race!
If you haven't already, please fill out the form below and return it to coordinator@danbesse.org.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
VOLUNTEER FORM
___I will help distribute signs to polling places.
___I will help greet voters at an early voting site.
___I will help greet voters at the polls on May 6.
___I will help recruit pollworkers for May 6.
NAME:
COUNTY:
PHONE:
EMAIL:
------------------------------------------------------------------
Endorsements for Dan Besse now include the following:
--Winston-Salem Journal
--Yes Weekly
--N.C. Chapter of the Sierra Club
--Progressive Democrats of N.C.
--Conservation Council of N.C.
--Progressive Democrats of America (Greensboro)
--Democracy for America (Asheville)
For more information on Dan Besse, you can always go to www.danbesse2008.org.
We're moving! Thanks very much for your support!
Christine Toole, Campaign Manager
Dan Besse for Lieutenant Governor
4/12/2008
Conservation Insider Bulletin, April 11
Conservation Insider Bulletin
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
April 11, 2008
Track "muddy water watch" enforcement examples, consider key clean water legislation, and explore the sinister plot of "greenways", this week in CIB:
--Enforcement Update: Muddy Water Case Study
--Washington Watch: Clean Water Restoration Act
--The Other Side: Greenways, the Communist Plot
Enforcement Update: Muddy Water Case Study
As a part of ongoing citizen enforcement training efforts, the Neuse River Foundation (NRF) and other groups have released "case studies" which show examples of the kinds of problems which occur when sedimentation control laws are not enforced. Recently, this enforcement training effort has looked hard at examples in Cary. Discussion and photos can be found at http://www.muddywaterwatch.org/casestudies.html.
Washington Watch: Clean Water Restoration Act
Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court (in 2001 and 2006) veered away from its earlier broad interpretations of the Clean Water Act, federal protections for critical waters and wetlands have been narrowing. In response, pro-environmental leaders in the U.S. Congress are trying to re-clarify the law to include the earlier broad definition of protected waters.
The resulting legislation is called the Clean Water Restoration Act (S. 1870 and H.R. 2421). Earlier this week, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing on the bill, and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is scheduled to take up the issue next week. In the view of many environmentalists, this is the most important clean water issue to come before Congress in years.
Among the North Carolina Congressional delegation, Reps. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC1), David Price (D-NC4), Mel Watt (D-NC12) and Brad Miller (D-NC13) are co-sponsors of the House version of the bill. (CIB commends these members for their clean water leadership.)
Alas, not all the N.C. representatives are so foresighted. In particular, Rep. Robin Hayes (R-NC8), a member of the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, has criticized it. Hayes claims that the bill would compromise the rights of property owners, especially farmers. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC5) has also been visibly critical of the bill, again citing the usual "property rights" arguments.
As always, the "property rights" arguments elevate the rights of some to dump into public waters, and dismiss the rights of downstream and other impacted neighbors to clean water. Butterfield makes that point in support of the bill when he notes that it only limits actions that adversely impact a neighbor's water.
(Information taken from various published reports.)
The Other Side: Greenways, the Communist Plot
Sometimes the anti-environmentalists' train completely jumps the track of reality. This month the John Lockies are treating us to one of their most bizarre examples: greenways as a communist plot to steal our property rights. (Cue the "Outer Limits" theme music now.)
The Locke Foundation is pushing a "report" attacking the new Neuse River Greenway under development in Raleigh, as an uncompensated invasion of private property rights. Set aside the fact that the neighborhood supposedly "invaded" was advertised as a "greenways community". They assert, without evidence, that greenways devalue property. Odd conclusion, that—especially when a group as "property rights" oriented as the National Association of Realtors has found precisely to the contrary. In fact, proximity to greenways boosts property sale values.
The Lockies' paper is revealed as no more than an ideological tract when it asserts the sweeping claim, also without evidence, "Since greenways are commonly owned public property, they are more susceptible to crime, litter, and degradation than privately owned property." They talk of the alternative benefits of "private greenways" which would be open only to paying customers.
And there we have the truth. This is an outfit of ideologues so extreme that they reject the very premise of public parkland.
So sell off Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Yellowstone, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and the rest of those publicly-owned eyesores. Who could possibly want to live next to such a set of dumps?
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
April 11, 2008
Track "muddy water watch" enforcement examples, consider key clean water legislation, and explore the sinister plot of "greenways", this week in CIB:
--Enforcement Update: Muddy Water Case Study
--Washington Watch: Clean Water Restoration Act
--The Other Side: Greenways, the Communist Plot
Enforcement Update: Muddy Water Case Study
As a part of ongoing citizen enforcement training efforts, the Neuse River Foundation (NRF) and other groups have released "case studies" which show examples of the kinds of problems which occur when sedimentation control laws are not enforced. Recently, this enforcement training effort has looked hard at examples in Cary. Discussion and photos can be found at http://www.muddywaterwatch.org/casestudies.html.
Washington Watch: Clean Water Restoration Act
Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court (in 2001 and 2006) veered away from its earlier broad interpretations of the Clean Water Act, federal protections for critical waters and wetlands have been narrowing. In response, pro-environmental leaders in the U.S. Congress are trying to re-clarify the law to include the earlier broad definition of protected waters.
The resulting legislation is called the Clean Water Restoration Act (S. 1870 and H.R. 2421). Earlier this week, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing on the bill, and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is scheduled to take up the issue next week. In the view of many environmentalists, this is the most important clean water issue to come before Congress in years.
Among the North Carolina Congressional delegation, Reps. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC1), David Price (D-NC4), Mel Watt (D-NC12) and Brad Miller (D-NC13) are co-sponsors of the House version of the bill. (CIB commends these members for their clean water leadership.)
Alas, not all the N.C. representatives are so foresighted. In particular, Rep. Robin Hayes (R-NC8), a member of the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, has criticized it. Hayes claims that the bill would compromise the rights of property owners, especially farmers. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC5) has also been visibly critical of the bill, again citing the usual "property rights" arguments.
As always, the "property rights" arguments elevate the rights of some to dump into public waters, and dismiss the rights of downstream and other impacted neighbors to clean water. Butterfield makes that point in support of the bill when he notes that it only limits actions that adversely impact a neighbor's water.
(Information taken from various published reports.)
The Other Side: Greenways, the Communist Plot
Sometimes the anti-environmentalists' train completely jumps the track of reality. This month the John Lockies are treating us to one of their most bizarre examples: greenways as a communist plot to steal our property rights. (Cue the "Outer Limits" theme music now.)
The Locke Foundation is pushing a "report" attacking the new Neuse River Greenway under development in Raleigh, as an uncompensated invasion of private property rights. Set aside the fact that the neighborhood supposedly "invaded" was advertised as a "greenways community". They assert, without evidence, that greenways devalue property. Odd conclusion, that—especially when a group as "property rights" oriented as the National Association of Realtors has found precisely to the contrary. In fact, proximity to greenways boosts property sale values.
The Lockies' paper is revealed as no more than an ideological tract when it asserts the sweeping claim, also without evidence, "Since greenways are commonly owned public property, they are more susceptible to crime, litter, and degradation than privately owned property." They talk of the alternative benefits of "private greenways" which would be open only to paying customers.
And there we have the truth. This is an outfit of ideologues so extreme that they reject the very premise of public parkland.
So sell off Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Yellowstone, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and the rest of those publicly-owned eyesores. Who could possibly want to live next to such a set of dumps?
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