Art Pope Exposed, Dec. 13, 7 pm

Hello Advocates,

There’s still time to RSVP for the upcoming “Art Pope Exposed” community teach-in in Raleigh this Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 7pm at the NC Association for Educators building, 700 S. Salisbury St., Raleigh, NC. We’re expecting a good crowd and lively discussion.

Can’t make it to Raleigh? Don’t fret, we’re bringing it to you. Our friends at the Institute for Southern Studies will be webstreaming the Tuesday event at: http://www.ustream.tv/user/facingsouth.

RSVP to attend in Raleigh OR tune in for the webstream at 7pm Tuesday.

Onwards,
Adam Sotak, Organizing Director,
Democracy North Carolina

5% Day for Carolina Farm Stewardship Assoc., Raleigh

Great News! The Whole Foods Market in Raleigh on Wade Ave. has named CFSA the recipient of one of their 5% Days! Five percent of all sales on Tuesday, April 26th will go to benefit CFSA's work to support local, organic food and farming!
If you're in the neighborhood that day, please stop by and pick up a yummy treat (all food purchased for a good cause is calorie free!) or better yet, save your grocery shopping trip for that Tuesday and stock up!

Central Park, Raleigh, Sept. 23

You’re Invited To An Exclusive Presentation Of:

Celebration From Central Park
September 23, 2009, 8:00 - 9:30 p.m.
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
11 West Jones Street, Raleigh


Please join UNC-TV for an exclusive presentation of Celebration From Central Park - a kickoff celebration for the premier of the new Ken Burns’ documentary, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.

Celebration From Central Park is 90-minute program featuring remarks from series co-producers Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan, preview clips from the film, and performances by Eric Benet, Gavin DeGraw, Jose Feliciano, Carole King, Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, and Peter Yarrow.

Live from Central Park in New York City, this closed-circuit broadcast will celebrate the beauty and grandeur of our national parks. The program will not be available for viewing at any other North Carolina venue, and will not be broadcast on television. Don't miss your chance to preview this much-anticipated new documentary series.

Tickets are $10 each. For more information, please contact Joanne Davis by calling 1-877-407-0004 or via email to jdavis@unctv.org.

June 25, Raleigh, National Animal ID System Meeting

The USDA will hold a “listening session” on the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) in at the McKimmon Center, 1101 Gorman Street, in Raleigh, NC on June 25, from 9am to 4pm.

This is part of a series of meetings on NAIS, and it is critical for proponents of small farms, diversified agriculture and heritage breed preservation to attend and voice your opinion on this industrial ag initiative to trace every animal on every farm and homestead in the country. CFSA opposes NAIS, and you can learn more about the proposed program by visiting http://farmandranchfreedom.org/content/articles-and-newsletters.

Registration is required to attend the June 25 meeting; to register, you can:
1) Pre-register online: Send an email to NAISSessions@aphis.usda.gov In the subject line of the e-mail, indicate your name (or organization name) and the location of the meeting you plan to attend. If you wish to present public comments, please include your name (or organization name) and address in the body of the message.
2) Pre-register by Phone: call 301-734-0799
3) Register the day of the meeting: From 8 am - 9am on the day of the meeting

The public can submit written comments at the meeting, as well as make oral statements. The Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance has sample comments you can use for ideas, as well as alternatives for meeting the purported goals of NAIS, the protection of livestock from pandemic disease.

The afternoon part of the meeting will be "facilitated sessions," where the attendees will be divided into groups to develop solutions. Be prepared to politely disagree with the facilitator. If they claim that a "consensus" has been reached with an answer that you don't agree with, say so!

You can also submit comments online at:
http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2009-0027

Helpful tips for using the government comments site: Click on the yellow balloon under the "add comments" column. Fill out the required sections, and type in your comments. If you have long comments, it works best to type them up in a document, and then copy & paste them into the comment box. Then click "next step." You should get a confirmation number at the end of the process. If you don't, double check that you've filled in all the required fields and clicked all the "next step" buttons.

Or mail to:
ATTN NAIS
Surveillance and Identification Programs
National Center for Animal Health Programs, VS, APHIS,
4700 River Road Unit 200
Riverdale, MD 20737

At similar sessions in other states so far, the response has been overwhelmingly against NAIS. Let’s keep this grassroots momentum going when the USDA comes to Raleigh with a big turnout. Certainly our region’s industrial animal producers such as the NC Pork Producers Council will be there to speak in favor of NAIS, and it will be vital for small farms to be there in force to balance the influence of big ag.

Thanks
Roland

Roland McReynolds, Esq.
CFSA Executive Director
PO Box 448
Pittsboro, NC 27312
Ph: 919-542-2402
Fax: 919-542-7401
www.carolinafarmstewards.org

CCNC, NC Green Tie Awards

http://www.conservationcouncilnc.org/our-work/green-tie-awards-1/green-tie-awards

NC Local Food Council Bill

http://www.indyweek.com/pdf/040109/SB1067.pdf

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.

Intermodal Bill, Raleigh, House Bill 2363

Dear Friends:
[from Nina Szlosberg, member, NC Board of Transportation] I am writing to let you know about an important piece of legislation that was introduced in the NC House today.

This legislation would create "The Intermodal/Congestion Relief" Fund. The 21st Century Transportation Committee, on which I sit, created the bill and voted unanimously last week to send it to the legislature for passage. Rep. Becky Carney of Mecklenburg County (who also sits on the 21st committee and is Chair of the House Transportation Committee) is sponsoring the bill. Becky is a real leader and a great supporter of well planned transportation.

The fund will do two things.
First, it will provide a mechanism to establish a stream of funding for multi-modal projects throughout NC. Currently the NC DOT spends less than 3% of a 3.7 billion annual budget on rapid transit and other multi-modal projects - so the fund is needed if we are to "get up to speed" with other states.

Here's some of what the fund does:

Provides a state match for qualifying transit projects in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, the Triad, the Triangle, Asheville and Wilmington (and surrounding areas.)

Transit in these communities will reduce congestion and provide mobility choices.

Provides funding for the short line railroads which stimulate economic activity in rural areas (and take truck traffic off the highways),

Provides funding for the NC Railroad... which could provide commuter service linking workers in "ring counties" to their jobs in urban areas.

Provides funding for the NC Ports - which stimulate economic activity throughout the state.

Second, it will provide enabling legislation to give a number local communities the option of putting a referendum on the ballot asking voters if they would like to raise the sales tax in that community by a half a cent and dedicate that funding to transit. In Charlotte, for example, where they have just opened a very successful rapid rail system they raise 70 Million a year through a half cent sales tax which funds all transit operations (including local bus, express bus, neighborhood circulators and light rail.)
A positive referendum outcome in the Triangle would raise appx. 82 million a year. This is important because a Special Transit Advisory Committee (made up of prominent business and civic leaders in the Triangle) has recently released a report laying out a bold 20year plan for transit in the Triangle region.

The Intermodal Congestion Relief bill could help make that plan a reality.

So, what can you do? I am including you in this email because you all represent many different communities statewide and as such
have tremendous power to make a difference. First, pass this email on to your constituents, friends, family, neighbors, members of organizations with which you are affiliated.

Second, please encourage your legislators to support the bill.

http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/GIS/Representation/Who_Represents_Me/Who_Represents_Me.html

That will tell you who represents you in the NC House and Senate. Click on the link and that will take you to the individual
lawmakers webpage. There is an email address there.

Write an email to your lawmaker (and others elected leaders and lawmakers as well) and tell them that it is important to you that they support House Bill 2363.

Tell them that if North Carolina is to remain economically competitive we must provide transportation choices for our citizens.

Tell them that as gas prices rise, it is more important than ever to provide people with options other than their cars to get to work, school, shopping and recreation.

Tell them that those who live near transit drive 4400 fewer miles than the average American.

Tell them that you are concerned about our dependence on foreign oil and that public transportation can help reduce that dependency.

Tell them that Public transportation saves 4.2 billion gallons of fuel a year - equal to all of the fuel we import from Kuwait, the equivalent to 320 million cars filling up - 900,000 times a day.

Tell them that households that use public transportation save an average of $6251.00 each year.

Tell them that public Transportation reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 37 million metric tons a year - equivalent to the electricity used by 4.9 million households. To achieve a similar reduction in carbon emissions, every household in New York City, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Denver and Los Angeles combined would have to completely stop using electricity.

Tell them that North Carolina will grow by 4 million people in the next twenty years - equal to the current population of SC coming over the border to North Carolina. Ask them where are they going to live? And how will they move around the state?

Tell them that the majority of transportation and land use planners agree - traffic will grind to a halt unless we get serious about transit. Soon.

Tell them that you want to protect the quality of life in North Carolina. And that preserving mobility through creating more transportation choices is key to keeping North Carolina a great play to work, live and thrive. A great place to grow a business and raise a family.

If you have any questions about the bill there is information below, or you can email me (but please don't hit "respond to all" - there are hundreds on this list.)

Thank you for being such concerned, engaged North Carolinians. Your voice (and vote) matters.

Best to you,
Nina Szlosberg
Member, NC Board of Transportation
21st Century Transportation Committee Member
Board President, Conservation Council of NC

Intermodal Bill filed Tuesday as HB2363
Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 17:42:05 -0400
From: Gerry Cohen (Bill Drafting, Director)
To: Gerry Cohen (Bill Drafting, Director)

The Intermodal Bill recommended by the 21st Century Transportation Committee was filed in the North Carolina House of Representative this afternoon as House Bill 2363. It has four primary sponsors, Representatives Becky Carney (Mecklenburg), Lucy Allen (Franklin), Deborah Ross (Wake), and Pricey Harrison (Guilford). At the time of filing, 17 other house members signed as cosponsors, but members have until one hour after adjournment Wednesday, May 21 to add their names.

During the House floor session Wednesday, the bill will get first reading and be referred to a committee, and by late afternoon Wednesday the first edition of the bill will be linked from the bill status page and will include the names of all sponsors. Page and line numbers of the first edition will be different than from the filed edition.

An explanation of the bill is here:
http://www.ncleg.net/documentsites/committees/21stCenturyTransportation/Adopted%20Proposals/Intermodal%20Committee%20Report%20May%2013,%202008.pdf