Nine members of the Canary Coalition from different parts of Western North Carolina rented a van and carpooled to Raleigh on Tuesday, May 15, to meet with lawmakers and discuss progress of the clean smokestacks legislation pending in the House of Representatives.

“From this trip we found that there are issues holding up passage of the Clean Smokestacks Act,” says Canary Coalition Director Avram Friedman. “It’s a problem, but one the lawmakers should be able to overcome. They have to. The public wants this law to pass and for the state to start the process of cleaning up the air we breath. It’s a serious health issue as well as an environmental and economic problem for the region.”

In early April, a group of lawmakers, citizen groups, and power company representatives worked out the details of compromise legislation for a Clean Smokestacks Act. Senate Bill 1078, or The Clean Smokestacks Act, passed the Senate three weeks later by a vote of 43-5. This law would reduce emissions from North Carolina’s fourteen coal-fired power plants by 70 to 80 percent, in increments, over the next decade.

But another provision of the bill enables the utilities to pass on the entire cost of implementation to electrical consumers. Some industries oppose this aspect of the bill. This resistance has kept the bill from passing through the Public Utilities Committee of the House. The bill must pass in this committee and in the Environment and Natural Resources Committee in order to reach the floor for a vote by the full House of Representatives. If the House passes the bill with no major changes, it will become law once signed by Gov. Mike Easley. The governor has indicated that he would sign the Act.

“This is a problem that the industries, the power companies, and the lawmakers will have to work out for themselves,” says Friedman. “And I think they will. Virtually all of the committee members recognize the need for the Clean Smokestacks Act. In our talks no one suggested lowering the emission control standards outlined by the bill. The only issue is how cost recovery will be handled. The most important thing for concerned citizens to do is to continue letting their legislators in Raleigh know that they want this law to pass in this session, now. There is no excuse for delay.”

The Canary Coalition is organizing another trip to Raleigh on May 29 for the next meeting of the House Public Utilities Committee.

In related news, the Canary Coalition has been working to prepare for an event that will parallel the Southern Governor’s Summit on Air Quality on June 1 at the Park Vista Hotel in Gatlinburg. The parallel event is being called “The Voter’s Summit on Air Quality” and will take place at Mynatt Park, less than one mile from where the governors will be meeting.

“The Voter’s Summit is in support of the governor and state governments taking affirmative action on air quality issues. We are inviting public officials to participate in the Voter’s Summit. We’re glad they’ve decided to have the annual governor’s summit conference and are recognizing the seriousness of air quality issues in the national parks and surrounding regions. The Voter’s Summit is meant to give voice to the people who live in and visit this region to talk about how the air quality is affecting their lives.”

The rain or shine event will consist of an all-day open-mike vigil from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. There is a large outdoor shelter available in the park should it rain. People will sign up to speak for a few minutes each.
Contact the Canary Coalition for more information and to arrange carpool transportation at 828.586.4620.

 

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The Smoky Mountain News