This week at the N.C. General Assembly:It was another busy week at YOUR North Carolina General Assembly, so I'll get right to it!
Energy affordability was a recurring theme. We stood with the NC Association of Educators on Wednesday as they rallied outside the legislative building for “Kids Over Corporations,” calling attention to the massive tax breaks enjoyed by Duke Energy while public schools struggle for funding. Meanwhile, inside, lawmakers worked on several bills aimed at making energy more affordable for consumers.
Sen. Tim Moffitt introduced SB 957 - Portable Scale Solar Energy Devices, which would establish clear criteria allowing utility customers to use portable solar panels - sometimes called “balcony solar” because they’re that small - and battery storage to offset their electricity use. Expanding access to small-scale renewable energy is a meaningful step toward energy independence and emissions reduction. Paired with battery storage, the adoption of this technology also provides a back-up source of power during storm outages and an alternative source during periods of high load.
In the House, several Democratic members introduced their own plug-in solar bill (HB 112 - Balcony Solar), which includes an important provision ensuring renters the opportunity to use this technology to offset their demand on the grid. A flurry of other energy-related bills were also filed in the past 48 hours; we’ll be taking a closer look at those and reporting back on them in the coming weeks.
The Franklin County water bill we mentioned last week – SB 214 (Various Local Boundaries) – continued to draw attention this week. A revised draft completely removed the controversial section that would have empowered Franklin County to annex land in Halifax, Vance and Warren counties without the other counties’ consent. A bullet dodged, but at the heart of this issue are the growing water constraints limiting development in Franklin County. As pressure on water resources increases, we definitely expect broader debates this session about sustainable, equitable water use—and the need to protect shared natural resources.
Meanwhile, Rep. Ted Davis (New Hanover) introduced HB 1136 – Cape Fear IBT Moratorium / EMC IBT Reductions. The bill seeks to prevent excessive upstream water transfers that could reduce water availability downstream, raising important questions about watershed stewardship and regional equity. The bill comes in the wake of a request by the Town of Fuquay Varina for a 6.17 million gallons per day interbasin transfer of water from the Cape Fear River to the Neuse River basin. Rep. Deb Butler (New Hanover), Rep. Frank Iler (Brunswick), and Rep. Charles Smith (Cumberland) have joined as co-sponsors on Davis’ bill. Notably, the bipartisan group represents communities reliant upon the Cape Fear river basin.
Finally, the Parking Lot Reform and Modernization Act (HB 369), which passed the House last session, has now been referred to the Senate Committee on State and Local Government. This bipartisan bill could help remove barriers to better land use—creating opportunities for greener infrastructure, including expanded tree canopy and stormwater management. We expect the bill to be heard in the next week or two, after which it is likely to go through one more committee before going to the full Senate for approval. We will keep you posted as the bill progresses!
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