Informational News of interest for the citizens in and around Wendell, North Carolina.
Postings on this site are the property of Glenn Harris and cannot be copied without express written permission.
Archives are listed at the bottom of the home page.
Governor Takes Action for the Environment
|
Dear Friends,
Citizen activists and the environment scored a huge victory last week when Governor Perdue vetoed two harmful environmental bills: S781 and S709! S781 (Regulatory Reform Act of 2011) would have prevented North Carolina from passing air and water regulations stricter than the minimum federal standards. S709 (Energy Jobs Act) promoted both onshore and offshore drilling and moved forward plans for hydrofracking, while ignoring renewable sources of energy. In conjunction with the veto of S709, Governor Perdue issued two executive orders to study the state's energy resource opportunities, including offshore wind energy. Read more...
A third bill, S110 (Permit Terminal Groins) unfortunately was not vetoed and became law without the Governor's signature. This law could harm the state's beaches and barrier islands by allowing the construction of terminal groins, structures that trap sand certain areas while accelerating erosion in others.
These vetoes are excellent news, though there is still a chance they will be overturned when the General Assembly reconvenes on July 13th. Please contact your legislators and urge them to sustain the Governor's vetoes. Also, please send the Governor a thank you email to let her know you support her actions!
One other piece of legislation we've been following was the Billboard Bill, S183. This bill was not ratified in time to be sent to the Governor, though both chambers have approved it. This means that when the General Assembly reconvenes it will be sent to the Governor and then the 10-day clock for a possible veto will begin.
Click here for the NC Conservation Network's summary of the 2011 legislative session.
Durham County Moving forward with Transit Referendum
Durham County Commissioners voted at the end of June to include a referendum on the November 8 ballot for a half-cent sales tax for transit. Wake and Orange Counties opted to postpone considering transit referenda until 2012, but they will undoubtedly be watching carefully what happens in Durham this year. Polls have shown that voters in Durham support transit and the transit tax, but it is hard to predict how they will vote come November.
Capital Area Friends of Transit will work with the Durham-Orange Friends of Transit over the coming months to educate voters and build support for the referendum in Durham County. The future of transit in Wake County and the region will get a significant boost from its success! Durham provides a key link in the regional system, and if they pass the referendum, it could make it easier to pass one in Wake.
Read more...
Raleigh-Cary Area Continues to Top Charts for Projected Growth
According to data compiled by ProximityOne, the Raleigh-Cary metro area is projected to be the fastest growing metropolitan area in the country between 2010 and 2020. The area will grow from 1.2 million to 1.5 million in the next 10 years - a growth rate of 36%. This serves as yet another reminder that we must pay attention to and plan for growth, to ensure we have adequate clean water, a strong public transportation system, and good schools as we grow.
Read more... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
