Recent action

New drought response law will require conservation

This July, during a drought more severe than in 2007, North Carolina lawmakers took an important first step towards conserving the state’s water resources. Rejecting attempts by private well drillers and others to weaken the measure, the General Assembly passed drought response legislation championed by Gov. Easley that increases water use reporting in the agricultural sector and requires meters on new irrigation systems—giving local governments better tools to enforce outdoor watering bans. The Environment North Carolina-backed measure also requires local water systems to conserve water during times of drought.

With North Carolina’s population skyrocketing, and longer and more frequent dry periods predicted in the future, in 2009, Environment North Carolina will advocate a more comprehensive overhaul of the state’s water registration, conservation and allocation policies.

The new rules would require developers to control polluted runoff for projects above a 12 percent density threshold.

$54 million more for open space protection

Lawmakers allocated an additional $54 million to the state’s open space conservation programs, thanks to leadership from House Speaker Joe Hackney and other legislative leaders.

Even with this needed increase, Environment North Carolina research shows an additional $200 million will still be needed for the state to meet its goal of conserving an additional 1 million acres of forests, farmlands and other open spaces by 2010. Since their inception, the state’s existing conservation programs—designed to preserve farmlands, areas of special ecological significance, parklands, and riverbanks—have preserved nearly half a million acres of the state’s natural areas, including Chimney Rock. But they have long struggled to keep pace with rapid development.

Environment North Carolina will continue to advocate additional funding even after the million-acre goal is achieved.

Help protect open spaces like the Black Mountains.

Mission statement

We all want clean air, clean water and open spaces. But it takes independent research and tough-minded advocacy to win concrete results for our environment, especially when powerful interests stand in the way of environmental progress. That’s the idea behind Environment North Carolina. We focus exclusively on protecting North Carolina’s air, water and open spaces. We speak out and take action at the local, state and national levels to improve the quality of our environment and our lives.

credits

Photos: Front page (clockwise from top): Sourav and Joyeeta Chowdhury, from Shutterstock.com, Catnap, from Shutterstock.com, Staff; Page 2: Iofoto from Shutterstock.com, Tk Edens from Dreamstime.com, Jay Joslin (CC); page 3: , Joshua Wanyama (CC); page 4: Staff, Beth Whitcomb, from Shutterstock.com.

Editor: Elizabeth Ouzts. Contributors: Jim Amspacher, Justin Boyles, Zach Cullimore, Matthew Curtis, Richard J. Hannigan, Sara Landis, Ethan Lavine, Jesse Littlewood, Leana Nordstrom, Jenna Perry Leschuk, Ryan Moeckly, Brittany Paris, Dan Platt, Nathan Proctor, Heather Shute, Drew Stephan, Jenne Turner. Publications Director: Richard J. Hannigan.

Design: Public Interest GRFX (215) 985-1113.
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