NCLCV Welcomes End of War on Environment

The North Carolina League of Conservation Voters (NCLCV) welcomes an end to the 87 day war on the environment. The attack on many of the things that make North Carolina a great place to live and do business began on January 27 when the 2011 Long Session was gaveled in under new leadership and lasted up till the very end.

Shortly after session began, the attack started with the filing of S17 and S22. The first bill created a regulatory reform committee that targeted all of the existing rules that have kept our waters safe for drinking, our air clear of pollution, and helped hold polluters accountable; it also puts politicians, not state agencies with environmental and scientific expertise, in charge of setting the standards that protect the health of our citizens. The latter limited new rules to protect our natural heritage.

In the final days, when legislators didn't always have time to read the bills they were voting on and Session and Committee Meetings were held in the wee hours of the night, S781 -- the worst piece of environmental legislation this session -- was passed. S781 would limit our state's right to protect its own air and water, turning that over to Washington.

Now, after almost 90 days, the attack is over…for the time being.

"An ideological divide was anticipated after last November's elections, but what happened was an outright assault on North Carolina's pristine beaches, our majestic mountains, and our way of life," said Dan Crawford, director of governmental relations for NCLCV.

The leadership seemed to think that North Carolina was the only place undergoing a recession, and they put environmental protections in their crosshairs of blame. Meanwhile, accolades from national publications continued to rain praise, and rank North Carolina as one of the top places to do business. A recent Wells Fargo study showed that North Carolina's economy is poised to grow because of economic advantages in place here.

"If we want to work on regulatory reform, let's do it with a scalpel, not a chainsaw," Crawford went on to say. "Jumpstarting our economy can happen without sacrificing North Carolina's natural heritage that the citizens of our state identify with. The new leaders have taken the easy way out by letting these draconian measures pass." It is clear that polluters' profits were the priority of leadership, not protecting the long term future of our economy and environment.

A partial list of the bills that will damage our clean air and water are listed below:

• S17 Regulatory Reform Committee
• S22 APA rules: Limit Additional Costs
• S781 Regulatory Reform Act of 2011
• S183 Vegetation Removal
• S709 Energy Jobs Act
• H119 Amend Environmental Laws 2011
• S110 Permit Terminal Groins

North Carolina League of Conservation Voters is a pragmatic, nonpartisan, advocacy organization dedicated to protecting, preserving, and enhancing North Carolina's natural environment. For over 40 years, NCLCV has been turning environmental values into North Carolina priorities.