NC Chamber addresses recent
EPA policies and government induced uncertainties in N&O (12/8)
NC Chamber’s Position: The North Carolina Chamber supports environmental rulemaking reform to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, responsiveness and fairness of the process in our state. The current system has become increasingly complex, which hampers compliance and creates time-consuming and expensive barriers to job creation and growth. The end result of today’s system is duplication of effort, competition among multiple state boards and commissions, a lack of coordination and integration and public confusion.
2011 Legislative Victories:
BILL SUMMARY
PRO-BIZ or NO-BIZ
OUTCOME
Limited Costly Agency Regulations (S22) Successfully backed limits on how state agencies adopt costly new regulations, and set a one-year moratorium on new rules.
PASSED
Lifted Undue Burdens to Protect and Attract Jobs (S781) Supported increased regulatory efficiency to balance job creation and environmental protection by bringing environmental regulations in line with federal standards and creating a more streamlined and transparent rulemaking process.
Accelerated Clean Up of Industrial Properties (H45) Successfully pushed legislation that permits site-specific risk-based remediation for industrial sites, protects public health and the environment and encourages businesses to create jobs and grow the economy by allowing cleaned-up sites to be re-developed and placed into productive use.
PASSED
Updated Environmental Rulemaking (H119) Encouraged improvements to state environmental laws, such as aligning the definition of solid waste with federal definition and streamlining the permit process for sewer system construction, to help alleviate regulatory burdens on our state’s businesses.
PASSED
Emphasized Certainty in Environmental Rules (H103) Supported environmental rulemaking reform to enhance effectiveness and fairness of this process, including clarification of requirements for notice, collection and removal of mineral oil discharges from electrical equipment.
H587: North Carolina Jobs Bill Establishes new guidelines and procedures within the rulemaking sections of the Administrative Procedures Act
Continued...
S308: State Regulation of Greenhouse Gas Regulation Prohibits state agencies from adopting, implementing or enforcing a rule that regulates greenhouse gas emissions if the rule is not required by a federal law or regulation, or is more stringent than a corresponding federal regulation or law.
Continued...
S709: Energy Jobs Act of 2011 Aims to increase energy production in North Carolina to develop a secure, stable and predictable energy supply to facilitate job creation and the expansion of business and industry opportunities by utilizing the state’s 60 million acres of federal offshore waters – the largest along the Atlantic and the fourth largest in the United States.
Continued...
Tiered Enforcement: Tiered enforcement is another example where regulatory reform makes good sense and would provide NC businesses the certainty they need to keep and create jobs. Read more on the Chamber’s proposal to reform DENR’s Notice of Violation process to one that’s more balanced. Read more.
Authorization to Construct Wastewater Treatment Facilities and Adopting the EPA Definition of Solid Waste The Chamber submitted regulatory reform proposals to the governor during the fall of 2010. See the Chamber’s joint proposal with MCIC. We’re looking for Gov. Perdue and the legislature to examine these proposals during the 2011 legislative session.
2010 Wins:
Advanced Legislation to Protect Economy & Environment (SB778/HB1099): The North Carolina Chamber led a coalition in supporting legislation that solidifies 30 years of economic development practice by clarifying the intent and appropriate application of the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). Despite a difficult process, SB 778 overwhelming passed in the final hours of the 2010 legislative session, clarifying that private economic development projects do not require costly and redundant environmental review solely because they receive state or local government incentive funds. This important policy restores the original legislative intent of the act, prevents the delay of economic development projects and keeps intact the appropriate environmental review processes.
