Browsing by Subject "North Carolina General Assembly"

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Open Access
Implementation of the petition process for the NPDES Phase II stormwater program in North Carolina
(2007-05) Pogue, Bradley G.
The North Carolina General Assembly recently passed Session Law 2006-246, which establishes the final administrative rules for the implementation of the EPA NPDES Phase II stormwater program in North Carolina. According to these rules, any person may petition the Environmental Management Commission to require an entity that discharges stormwater to obtain a Phase II stormwater permit. A methodology was developed to guide the collection of the required data for an adverse impact petition, based on a case study of the municipal separate storm sewer system of Morehead City, NC. This case study was then used to examine the key elements of this process in the context of their application to a Phase II petition in a coastal environment, and to explore the challenges arising during this process. General petition provisions were originally included in the Phase II rules by the EPA to provide one of several opportunities for public participation in the NPDES stormwater program. It was initially thought that the detailed requirements regarding the petition process in North Carolina would enhance the ability of the general public to play a direct role in requiring more stringent stormwater management along the coast through the Phase II stormwater program. However, in developing the adverse impact petition methodology and applying it in a preliminary case study of Morehead City, it appears that the extensive requirements of the North Carolina petition rules may actually make the completion of a successful petition quite challenging, particularly for members of the general public. Thus, rather than simplifying the process, these rules may instead discourage the submission of Phase II petitions in North Carolina, at least in the near future, and limit their usefulness as a stormwater management tool.
Open Access
Labor/Environmental Alliances
(2007-05-24) Zaleski, Sarah
While energy policy has become a talking point for everything from national security to rural economic expansion to job stimulation, the environmental community has had rather little success in effectively engaging these stakeholders in climate policy discussions. One group, called the Apollo Alliance, has attempted to bring together labor and environmental interests to shape climate policy in the U.S., however no such alliance currently exists in North Carolina. This analysis proposes to gauge the potential for a labor-environmental coalition to influence North Carolina energy policy and identify policy-making institutions and opportunities for such a coalition. Original interviews from labor and environmental organizations throughout the state are analyzed using the Advocacy Coalition Framework and general alliance formation theory. In addition, the Obach model predicting the health of blue/green relations is applied to North Carolina through the examination of significant independent variables. Findings suggests moderate potential for a blue/green alliance to shape the energy policy of North Carolina. A variety of proposals are suggested as initial targets of such a coalition including renewable fuel tax exemptions, energy conservation retrofits in state-owned facilities, and strengthened lobbying reforms. The North Carolina General Assembly is identified as the primary target for such a coalition due to the existing legislative presence of relevant organizations. Given the recent formation of state-sponsored climate advisory groups and mounting public attention to energy issues nationally, the time ripe for such an alliance to affect change in North Carolina’s energy policy.