Grier Martin's blog

OK folks, I need your input here. Renewable energy legislation has been slowly starting to come together in the General Assembly and is at a crucial point.

A few weeks ago I live blogged here on BlueNC. One of the hot topics was the possibility of a renewable energy portfolio standard (REPS) in North Carolina. REPS would require utilities in our state to get a certain percentage of energy from renewable energy sources. Reps. Pricey Harrison, Jim Harrell, Carolyn Justice and I introduced a bill (HB77) that will do just that, along with some energy conservation measures. Sen. Charlie Albertson has filed a similar bill in the Senate.

Thursday morning at 9am we're holding a press conference

NC has the 3rd highest population of military personnel in the country. These folks disproportionately fall prey to consumer scams. Servicemembers tend to be young, often 18 or 19 years old. In many cases, their move to NC's bases is their first time away from home. Also, servicemembers move around often. This means that every 2-3 years they are in a new and unfamiliar location. These and other factors make our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines targets for a variety of scams. Bait and switch automobile sales, pay day lending, predatory insurance sales from groups masquerading as government agencies, identity theft, and a host of other scams all have caused harm.

I'm proud to say that we're taking action in NC.