Recent editorials from North Carolina newspapers:
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Sept. 25
The News & Observer of Raleigh on lawmakers’ actions toward funding for the Environmental Quality department and effects on chemical dumping:
GenX is a chemical used in the making of the nonstick substance Teflon, and the state of North Carolina has accused Chemours, which makes the chemical, of improperly dumping it into the Cape Fear River without permission. The state’s lawmakers have voted to provide some funding to look into it, but their action in the form of a bill provided no extra funding for the Department of Environmental Quality.
And there, in short, lies the rub these days when it comes to environmental protection in Raleigh. Republican lawmakers, whether they admit it or not, look at environmental regulation as the enemy of big business. Rules hamper business, the logic goes, and therefore North Carolina needs as few regulations as possible. And since Republicans have been in charge, they’ve done away with regulation, and they’ve dramatically cut the budget for DEQ - not because of inefficiency or because of a sudden revelation that the environment in North Carolina is pristine and thus doesn’t need looking after. No, the reasoning is that regulation is the product of a bunch of liberals running environmental policy.
North Carolina has been lucky in some ways - the coal ash episode being an exception - when it comes to big-scale environmental problems. But luck doesn’t last forever.
And this is a state with numerous waterways, a long coastline, mountain ranges and lakes. In many ways, the state is a natural wonderland, and that is one of North Carolina’s major assets. It is a vacation site for millions and millions of people within and outside of the state, and travel and tourism are the big drivers of the state’s economy.
Agriculture remains another asset, and one dependent on clean air and water.
And consider this from Gov. Roy Cooper, who vetoed that bill that was absent extra funding: “North Carolina has nine permit writers for 220 water discharge facilities. Meanwhile, South Carolina has almost twice as many officials overseeing far fewer facilities.”
That ought to sound an alarm for Republican leaders in the General Assembly, but it won’t. They’re determined to carry on with the dismantling of environmental regulation in the name of making North Carolina “business friendly,” even though the state is consistently ranked at the top in terms of its open-hand for business of all kinds.
The GOP’s obsession with doing away with anything Democrats have done in terms of environmental rules is disheartening and dangerous. It may sound like a cliche to say “it’s only a matter of time,” but … it’s only a matter of time. A hurricane could (and in the past, has) caused devastating flooding that has created environmental risks in the state, and as regulations continued to diminish, those risks will only increase.
The environment is nonpartisan. Republicans could gain, not lose, political points if they became allies of environmental protection instead of being proud of being its enemy.
Online: https://www.newsobserver.com/
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Oct. 4
News & Record of Greensboro on the state legislature:
State Sen. Trudy Wade is expected this week to finagle into passage a piece of legislation intended to settle a score.
Wade, who failed to pass a statewide bill that would allow local governments to remove legal advertising and public notices in newspapers and place them on government websites - in Guilford County only.
This will hurt the bottom lines of local papers, including the News & Record, and could put the Jamestown News out of business.
Wade says her goal is to save money for the county, which is not a guarantee. Nor would such a move serve the public interest because newspapers and their websites reach broader audiences than the county website.
But that’s not the point. But some of her colleagues have said that this surgical in Wade’s home county is in reality payback to the News & Record for news coverage and editorials Wade has not liked. If follows a similar pattern of the Greensboro Republican maneuvering to have her way by any means necessary. If at first she doesn’t succeed, she keeps trying, using her close ties to the powerful Senate leader, Phil Berger of Eden, strong-arm tactics and arcane legislative loopholes to get what she wants.
But this isn’t just about Wade. It is about a legislature that meddles, time and again, in the affairs of local communities. Sometimes the motives are political. Sometimes they are purely personal. They include:
Asheville. In 2013 the General Assembly stripped the city of its water system by passing a law that was overturned by the state Supreme Court in 2016.
Charlotte. Also in 2013, the General Assembly removed control of Douglas International Airport from the city of Charlotte to a commission created by legislators. That law, too, was voided by the courts.
Greensboro. In 2015, at Wade’s behest, state lawmakers redrew Greensboro City Council districts and changed the makeup of the council without input from local voters. A federal judge blocked the law with a permanent injunction.
Charlotte. In the dark of night, the General Assembly passed HB 2, the state’s notorious bathroom law, in response to a Charlotte gay rights ordinance. After a blistering wave of protest from citizens and businesses, the legislature partially repealed the law.
Northeastern North Carolina. GOP leaders (specifically Berger and Sen. Harry Brown, the budget chairman) opposed a $400 million Amazon wind farm in cash-strapped rural communities, claiming that the project affected U.S. Navy operations, even though the Navy insisted it did not. After they failed to block the project, lawmakers still managed to pass an 18-month moratorium on wind projects.
Wake County. In 2013 Republican state Sen. Chad Barefoot redrew Wake school board districts, which a judge later declared to be unconstitutional.
Fracking. Republican lawmakers passed a bill that forbids local governments from setting their own regulations for hydraulic fracturing. Or fracking. Then they passed a law in 2014 allowing fracking permits in the state before environmental safety rules for the process were put into place.
Guilford County. In 2013 Wade sponsored a bill that applied only to Guilford County to make Board of Education elections partisan with no public referendum. The law stands.
And so on… Most of this skullduggery is done quietly, and avoids public input and (God forbid) public votes.
This is not government. It is gamesmanship emboldened by representatives who have drawn themselves into safe districts to avoid accountability. Absolute power and control of every nook and cranny of North Carolina by the party of small government.
Wade may be the leading lady, but this is an ensemble production.
The Republican-controlled legislature has become a playground for the powerful - a place to bully and intimidate and carry out vendettas. Because they can.
Online: https://www.greensboro.com/
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Sept. 26
Winston-Salem Journal on Gov. Roy Cooper and Meals on Wheels:
Many issues divide us these days, but Meals on Wheels shouldn’t be one of them. We thought about that as Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper came through town to honor the program, just as Republican politicians and other Democrats have done in years past.
This year, the nationwide program could see cutbacks from the federal budget. We hope that doesn’t happen, just as we hope the Farm Bill retains full funding for feeding the hungry.
Even in 21st century America, we should be able to come together on helping our most vulnerable. For years, that’s exactly what Meals on Wheels has done, in our town and many others across this land, through dedicated volunteers. We’re especially proud of our local program, which several years ago survived the murders of a volunteer and the person to whom she was delivering a meal.
The local program from Senior Services of Forsyth County never missed a beat, and hasn’t to this day. And so it was that 91-year-old Rosalie Young received Gov. Cooper and his wife, Kristin, in her Winston-Salem home as they delivered the ceremonial 6-millionth meal from the Senior Services’ Meals-on-Wheels program, which delivers meals to senior citizens in Forsyth County who are in need of nutritional support, as the Journal’s Jenny Drabble reported:
“A knock sounded at the door and in walked the governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, carrying a tray of steak, collard greens, mashed potatoes, a biscuit and a fruit cup,” the Journal reported.
“It’s very nice of them. I’d never had anything like that before in my life. I’m spoiled,” said Rosalie Young, who is legally blind and has been receiving meals for three years. “I feel so blessed.”
Sure, it was a good photo-op for the governor, just as similar days have been for other politicians. But Cooper made a good point at Senior Services headquarters: “The people who are here every single day . and give their valuable time when all the cameras are gone, they knock on people’s doors and they visit them and deliver nutrition.”
Thanks to the volunteers who get this crucial work done. Let’s unite behind it, long after the cameras are gone.
Online: https://www.journalnow.com/
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