Thursday, July 25, 2013

NC budget fires Environmental Management Commission

North Carolina's base appropriations budget, ratified Thursday, fires all current members of the state's environmental rule-making board effective next Wednesday.

The move gives Gov. Pat McCrory and the Republican-led legislature, which has targeted environmental regulation as a drag on business, a clean slate to remake the powerful Environmental Management Commission. The commission is charged with adopting rules protecting air and water resources.

The budget pares the commission's 19 members to 15, nine appointed by the governor and six by legislators. It retains most of the specialty positions on the board, such as experts in air and water pollution, biology, agriculture and manufacturing.

McCrory named Charlotte attorney Benne Hutson, whose term was scheduled to end in mid-2014, as EMC chairman effective July 8. Ten members' terms expired June 30.

The budget also fires all but four members of the 15-member Coastal Resources Commission, which adopts rules and policies on coastal development.

Expertise to be represented on the board would continue to include coastal development, engineering, agriculture, fishing and forestry. The board will no longer have designated seats for marine ecology and conservation.

The legislation also pares the state Clean Water Management Trust Fund board from 21 to nine members, but adds language charging the board with land preservation in addition to protecting water resources. The fund had been the state's largest conservation grant source until recent years, when appropriations to it were slashed.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

>> The legislation also pares the state Clean Water Management Trust Fund board from 21 to nine members

>> The budget pares the commission's 19 members to 15

The only reason the new numbers of 9 & 15 may appear lean and efficient to some is because of the starting point of a 21 member board and 19 member board. It's a start but still strikes me as top-heavy beauracracy.

Wayne X. Davenport Sr. said...

North Carolina home to Andy Griffen who show open with him and and a boy going fishing. Well we can kiss that good bye after this crowd gut the clean water,air and soil protections.

Anonymous said...

It is still a top heavy beauracracy and could be pared down even more in order to do away with so many idiotic regulations which have little to nothing to do with environmental issues.

Professional Power Project Management ServicesProfessional Power Project Management Services said...

It looks like you started a green revolution against the fossil fuels.Keep it up.

Anonymous said...

I assume the Governor will not appoint EMC board members are ineligible due to the Clean Water Act conflict of interest prohibition, making anyone who receives 10% of his or her income from NPDES permit holders or applicants ineligible to serve.

Amelia said...

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Going to read more of your articles

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