TAKE ACTION NOW: Contact your state senator to oppose bills to allow hardened structures on N.C.'s coastline.
This week's top news is an effort to overturn North Carolina's longstanding ban on hardened structures on our beaches. We need you to contact your state senator now to oppose two bills that will likely be heard in the coming week in the Senate's Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee.
Last week, with little warning, the committee discussed Senate Bills 1008, Pilot for Shoreline Stabilization Project, and 1009, Repeal Hardened Structure Ban, which would weaken or overturn the state's bans on terminal groins, sea walls and similar structures. Backers say they block coastal erosion, but they actually make it worse in areas beyond the structures' immediate vicinity. That's why the legislature passed a law in 2003 to ban them.
Right now, the Senate committee appears to be gauging public reaction to these bills. That's why we need you to speak up ASAP:
- Call your state senator. Dial (202) 750-2411 to hear a short description about the bills' threats, then be patched through to your state senator's office.
- Send an online message to your senator via this action alert from our friends at the N.C. Conservation Network.
In good news, the same committee voted favorably on H369, Parking Lot Reform/Stormwater Control, and sent it along to Senate Rules. The committee amended the measure to exempt 20 coastal counties, a concession made by bill sponsors in response to concerns raised by two committee members about the need for parking in beach communities.
As we noted during our Wednesdays on Jones Street conversation with Rep. James Roberson (D-District 39, Wake County), we support the measure because it paves the way (heh, sorry!) for more affordable housing development and better stormwater management. (Roberson is pictured with (left to right) Legislative & Political Director Lisa Hazirjian, volunteer CeCe Grant and Chapter Director Chris Herndon.)
Our Wednesday team visits to the legislature have been great for educating and rallying lawmakers in support of strong environmental legislation. We've got two more scheduled – please register to join us!
No developments this week to report on Senate Bill 730, the Ratepayer Protection Act, and its problematic Section 10, as Senate leaders focused on the budget. If you missed last week's update, read more about the measure there and in some good news coverage:
- WUNC: NC House passes data center regulation, pro-nuclear power bill amid concerns it may prolong coal use
- Canary Media: North Carolina bill would prop up coal until new nuclear is approved
Should S730 start to move again, we’ll need all hands on deck to stop the proposed nuclear requirement from becoming law. Get ready now: Sign up to attend Monday night's online training, "Learn to Hustle," so you can help us get the word out if a rapid response is needed.