More bills that affect our environment are filtering through the legislative process in the session's early days. To date, none stands to have greater impact than H72, Attorney General / Restrict Challenge to Presidential Executive Orders.
The brief bill, filed early this month, would block NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson from joining legal challenges to President Trump's executive orders. It's scheduled for a hearing next Wednesday in the House Committee on Federal and Indian Affairs.
Trump has issued a blizzard of EOs that could affect climate change mitigation, environmental regulation, clean energy development and more. As our Erin Carey told NC Newsline: "Trump’s executive orders read like an industry fever dream: no protections, no limits, no rules." It's essential for North Carolina's elected leadership to be free to push back against them.
Other bills of interest:
- H62, Farmer Protection Act, would ban financial institutions from rejecting loan applications or cancelling loans to farmers because of environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies. If this bill becomes law, banks that have agriculture-related ESG policies could be accused of violating this provision if they deny or restrict loans, and would have a high bar to prove that the accusation is wrong. The House Judiciary I Committee is due to consider the bill on Tuesday.
- H77, Environmental Justice, sponsored by Rep. Pricey Harrison in her long-running effort to require state agencies to consider cumulative environmental impacts on minority, low-income and other marginalized communities during permitting processes.
- H84, The Pollinator Protection Act, would ban neonicotinoid pesticides from use except by farmers, veterinarians, and pesticide applicators.
Helene relief bill heading to full vote
H47, Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 - Part 1, was amended this week by the House Select Committee, but no major funding was added. It may reach a full House vote next week.