NC DENR

At the Environmental Review Commission (a committee of the legislature) meeting on December 13, 2012, a number of ideas were vetted in advance of consideration for legislation this spring. One such idea was a measure to ensure that developers are held financially liable for sedimentation pollution resulting from their land-disturbing activities. Specifically, the measure would require financial assurance for land disruptions greater than 20 acres to ensure compliance with sedimentation control. A number of acceptable financial mechanisms were specified, including bonds. Financial assurance would be maintained until the site closes.

Representative Mitch Gillespie, who has since resigned his seat in order to be assistant secretary at DENR, recommended that the proposal not be reported out ... and it was not.

I suppose if you're willing to wait 45 million years...

I bet you won't see this on a campaign sign:

Veteran lawmaker Rep. Mitch Gillespie – who in 2011 literally drew a bulls-eye target on his legislative office window aimed at the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources – will resign next month to become an assistant secretary of the agency.

Setting aside for the moment the negative impact of having an outspoken opponent of DENR taking over some of its reins, over 2/3 of the voters in his district turned out to vote for Gillespie, and donors contributed over $150,000 to his campaign. And in return, they're going to get someone else as a Representative, chosen by a small group of (also) unelected people. And this:

Making money from environmental damage:

What Skvarla does not have is an extensive environmental background – until he joined Restoration Systems in 2005. The firm restores damaged waterways, and has pioneered in North Carolina the niche of “mitigation banking” – collecting credits for improving one site that can be used to offset development elsewhere.

I'm not going to get into a deep discussion about environmental offsets. Suffice it to say it can be a (net) benefit, but it can also mask environmental degradation while flying a "green" banner. But while these words might sing in the ears of a business-worshipping Republican, they are wildly inappropriate:

From the Executive Summary:

After reviewing other studies and experiences in oil and gas-producing states, DENR believes that hydraulic fracturing can be done safely as long as the right protections are in place. It will be important to have those measures in place before issuing permits for hydraulic fracturing in North Carolina’s shale formations.

Note to the General Assembly: If you're not willing to support (with money, where needed) the part in italics, the part that comes before that means nothing. And before you go touting this study (more than you already have), pay close attention to what's missing:

Just in case the GOP legislators were "tuning out" all those folks who spoke their minds during recent regulatory meetings:

An overwhelming 83 percent of voters agreed that "protecting North Carolina's air and water is important to attracting good jobs to the state." A majority of voters, 54 percent, supported keeping the existing sales tax as a way to avoid the deepest cuts in parks and open space funding. About half the respondents, 48 percent, said they would support raising permit fees on polluters to help balance the state budget.

Here's a link to the PPP Poll in question.

The quality of our air and water are at risk:

A measure moving through the Senate would strip the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of several of its functions. And Senate budget writers are considering further downsizing measures.

I talked about this bad legislation two weeks ago, and it didn't appear to generate much interest. Which in itself is depressing and alarming. So maybe a little absurdity will grab your attention:

Shifting authority from DENR to Agriculture on water quality issues:

AN ACT to transfer the division of soil and water conservation and the Soil and water conservation commission of the department of environment and natural resources to the department of agriculture and consumer services and to make conforming changes.

Exceptionally dry Winter not a good sign:

Forty-five counties are experiencing some level of drought, and 26 Piedmont counties stretching from Charlotte northeast to Roanoke Rapids have reached severe status. Levels of drought from lowest to highest are moderate, severe, extreme and exceptional.

While the volume of rainfall that replenishes our water resources may be an act of nature, the quality of our water resources is (without a doubt) determined by acts of man. Whether individual selfish acts or collective responsible acts are the primary drivers of that water quality is a choice even a 2nd Grader could answer in a split-second.