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Meeting Reports
SOURCES OF INFORMATION (6/1/09)
Track bills, legislative actions, legislators:
http://www.opencongress.org/
http://thomas.loc.gov/
http://www.ncleg.net/
http://www.nc.sierraclub.org/tracker
Most issues:
http://www.nrdc.org
http://www.worldwatch.org/
Water Quality:
http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/csu/index.html.
general index to water quality websites(EPA, NC)
http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/admin/rules/documents/redbook_1may07_full_with_cover.pdf
NC DENR DWQ water quality rules
Water policy:
Sen. Clodfelter has introduced the omnibus S 907, Water Resource Policy
Act of 2009, written in part by our own Bill Holman, now at Duke University
http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2009%20%20&BillID=s907
Environmental Management Commission
http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/admin/emc/
http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/admin/emc/EMCAgenda2009.htm
Dept of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
http://www.enr.state.nc.us/
Clean Air:
http://www.ccap.org/index.php?component=resources&issue=9
clean air policy
Public Lands:
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/
National Parks planning
http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc
NC National Forests
http://www.fs.fed.us
US National Forests
http://fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5063261.pdf
Secy Vilsack’s 5/28/09 temp. rule protecting roadless
areas for 1 year
http://www.nc.sierraclub.org/pisgah
Pisgah issues, Roadless Areas of Pisgah & Nantahala
national forests
http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/nepa/sopa_jan_2009.pdf
schedule of proposed actions
Wildlife Management:
http://www.ncwildlife.org/
NC Wildlife Resources Commission
Utilities Commission:
http://www.ncuc.commerce.state.nc.us/
NC Utilities Commission
Climate Change/energy: (H2454, Waxman-Markey Climate Change Bill,
“The American Clean Energy and Security Act”)
http://www.ipcc.ch/
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
http://www.ncclimatechange.us/
NC Climate Change Group
http://www.princeton.edu/~cmi/resources/stabwedge.htm
Princeton climate stabilization proposals
http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/cost/contents.asp
NRDC Cost of Climate Change
http://www.epa.gov.cleanenergy/energy-and-you/how-clean.html
energy sources
http://www.epa.gov/greenpower
green power providers
http://www.rmi.org/
Rocky Mountain Institute, Amory Lovins
Sierra Club:
http://northcarolina.sierraclub.org/pisgah/index.html
Pisgah Group website
http://sierraclub.org/coal/
coal
http://sierraclubgreenhome.com
green home products
Property lines, ownership, Transylvania County:
http://arcims.webgis.net/nc/transylvania/default.asp
Trans Cty property ownership data
Conservation Issues with local impact
Mountaintop Removal
Clean Water Protection Act HR1310: introduced into the House by Reps
Pallone and Reichert 3/3/09. Shuler is a co-sponsor
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-1310
Horsepasture ORW (Toxaway, Thompson, Whitewater too?)
Boylston Creek Trout Waters
French Broad River water quality (cattle in river, erosion)
http://www.waterkeeper.org/subsites/subcontact.aspx?userid=31
Land Use Planning
http://www.cityofbrevard.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7B01CCE271-9898-4DEF-B940-0BA80BC9275A%7D&DE=%7BCC377D96-8C69-4E46-B9D7-03113E3A5C93%7D
Water supply planning in T. Cty, Hydrology of our region
http://www.landofsky.org/mainlinks/links.html
Cool Cities (public transportation, green buildings) – Brevard
http://www.coolcities.us/
Steep slope controls
http://www.landofsky.org/planning/p_mountain_ridge_steep_slope.htm
Air quality re emissions from upwind Ohio Valley plants
EPA directed by court to reconsider NC’s complaint
about Ohio, TN Valley coal plants
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1366320.html
Renova/Davidson R. Village development – make it green
status of coal ash pile?
http://www.cityofbrevard.com/vertical/Sites/%7BA1ABB578-CC92-42B7-8A5B-5B885D90A0FA%7D/uploads/%7BEB7C1945-D694-49E9-9A65-96E10F377B72%7D.PDF
Sod Farms, impact on water quality?
Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests, More Wilderness, National Wild
and Scenic Rivers
http://northcarolina.sierraclub.org/pisgah/index.html
Pisgah National Recreation Area
Bracken Mountain Park
http://www.cityofbrevard.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7B01CCE271-9898-4DEF-B940-0BA80BC9275A%7D&DE=%7B633240DF-C235-4FDB-B41A-D28D64557E4F%7D
Park volunteering (Gorges, DuPont SF)
http://www.dupontforest.com/
http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/gorg/main.php
Other Issues
NC Energy issues
NC SAVE
http://www.ncwarn.org/Programs/NCSAVE$/default.htm
NC Green Energy
http://www.ncgreenpower.org/
Cliffside
http://www.stopcliffside.org/news.php
Nuclear
http://www.indyweekblogs.com/triangulator/2009/04/28/is-gov-perdue-for-more-nuclear-plants-shes-for-the-outfit-aiming-to-build-them/
Windpower
http://www.wind.appstate.edu/
Waste
Recycling falling off, market dried up. See
Mother Jones, May-June ’09 issue
In the NC General Assembly:
Ban Single Use Plastic Bags
SB 1018, “Ban Single Use Plastic Bags” which passed the Senate during
crossover, will be heard in House Environment and Natural Resources
This bill was originally a statewide bill, for the sake of its
viability it has been narrowed to only the counties that encompass the
outer banks; Dare, Hyde and Currituck. The bill would ban single
use plastic bags in chain stores and large retail spaces. Instead,
retailers would be required to offer recyclable paper bags, reusable plastic
bags or encourage consumers to provide their own sustainable solution.
Dare, Hyde and Currituck counties serve as ideal pilot counties for such
a program, as they are home to some of the most important sea turtle nesting
areas, all of which are put in danger when suffocating plastic bags are
allowed to be ill handled. The Outer Banks also has a vested interest in
maintaining the area’s natural beauty, both for residents and visiting tourists
that sustain the local economy.
Financing Energy Improvements, “Cities First”
An opportunity that Sierra has been working a great deal on is what we
call Cities First. Two bills, HB 1389 and HB 1015 and it is likely
that HB 1389 will be heard and possibly voted on in House Energy and Environment
These bills are environmental financing bills sponsored by Rep. Susan
Fisher (D-Buncombe) that would allow municipalities to finance home improvements
for energy efficiency and renewable energy. HB 1015 is a local bill
for Asheville only, but HB 1389 is the statewide version that we hope to
have signed into law
The biggest deterrent for property owners who want to retrofit their
homes or install renewable energy sources on their property is the upfront
costs. These bills would help alleviate that sticker shock by allowing
municipalities to create financing programs that could cover the upfront
costs of these improvements. Other cities around the country are already
enjoying the success of similar programs.
ELEMENTS OF A CONSERVATION CAMPAIGN
A. DEFINE THE ISSUE/PROBLEM CAREFULLY
1. SCOPE: global, national,
state, local
2. JURISDICTION: UN, federal (EPA, USFS, congress),
state (regulators, legislators, county commission, town council)
3. WHO IS MOST AFFECTED
4. ISSUE DETAILS: geography, natural resource,
economics, politics, current situation
B. DESIRED OUTCOME/SOLUTION
C. HOW MIGHT THIS ISSUE BE APPROACHED?
1. Who favors our solution?
2. Who opposes? What are the
main barriers to success?
3. Who has the authority to decide?
4. What strategies might be used
to succeed?
education via pubic meetings, newspaper articles, letters to editors,
TV, website, presentations to relevant officials, petitions, demonstrations.
Formation of a committee, new issue organization, steering committee of
leaders representing groups also interested in issue. Fundraising
for brochures, maps, mailings or travel
D. GO BACK TO “A” AND REDEFINE ISSUE FOR BETTER CHANCE
OF SUCCESS
E. GO INTO ACTION WITH FORMATION OF STEERING COMMITTEE
HOLDING REGULAR MEETINGS TO REFINE AND IMPLEMENT STRATEGY, AND CONTINUE
RESEARCH