NC Legislative Cmte. Votes To Eliminate State Monitoring, Enforcement Of Air Quality

[hatrack]

At the urging of some of the state’s largest polluters, a committee in the Republican-controlled state House voted Tuesday to eliminate the state program that monitors and enforces clean air regulations. During an afternoon meeting of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee, Rep. Pat McElraft, an Emerald Isle Republican, introduced an amendment to eliminate the state's air toxics program.

The measure was added to Senate Bill 308, which would prohibit state agencies from enforcing regulation of greenhouse gas emissions by industry beyond federal regulations. In general, federal air quality rules are weaker than existing state regulations on pollution emitted from the stacks of coal-fired power plants and other industrial activities.

Before Tuesday’s suprise ammedment, the bill had languished in the Republican-controlled committee for three months. McElraft’s amendment was approved without any opportunity for public comment. Officials at the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, were also caught by surprise by the amendment, copies of which had not been provided to them ahead of time.

Five of the state’s largest emitters of hazardous and toxic pollutants, including Duke Power and steel manufacturer Nucor Corp., had urged Republican legislators in writing to repeal North Carolina’s Air Toxic Regulations. These companies account for over half of the hazardous and toxic chemical released in North Carolina, according to a 2009 inventory by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/06/14/2379390/gop-controlled-committee-seeks.html#ixzz1PMw4opVZ

EDIT

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/06/14/2379390/gop-controlled-committee-seeks.html

[damntexdem]

1. Which means that the EPA would take over the tasks.

Texas has already found that out.