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G42 <br />• Environment Legislative Proposals <br />Priority Goals as Determined by NCACC Board of Directors <br />1. Enhance river basin monitoring and streamline rule- making — Enhance monitoring for all river <br />basins in North Carolina and review the rule- making process to enhance regional cooperation. <br />• Explanation: Increased monitoring would allow jurisdictions to better assess compliance <br />with water quality rules and, over time, allow the Division of Water Quality to make <br />better decisions regarding future promulgation of water - quality rule making. <br />2. Streamline water supply reservoir permitting —Seek legislation to streamline local water supply <br />reservoir permitting without sacrificing the scientific rigor of Environmental Impact Assessment <br />and ensure adequate opportunities for public and local official comment. <br />• Explanation: North Carolina is a fast - growing state that has already experienced <br />drought - related challenges to its water supply, impacting both quantity and quality. It is <br />likely that many new sources of drinking water will be needed to meet future demand, <br />yet the timetable to bring a new water reservoir on line can take years, even decades, to <br />satisfy all the environmental permitting requirements mandated by the state. <br />3. Authorize County Oversight of Bio- Solids Disposal — Support legislation to authorize counties to <br />regulate, but not prohibit, bio- solids application activities, including the acceptable "classes" of <br />bio- solids for application and the prohibition of bio- solids application in certain environmentally <br />sensitive areas. <br />• Explanation: Support legislation that provides county governments some opportunity to <br />regulate and /or have input into, but not prohibit, bio- solids application activities, <br />including the acceptable "classes" of bio- solids for application and the prohibition of <br />bio- solids application in certain environmentally sensitive areas such as critical <br />watersheds. The appropriate application of bio- solids for agricultural use should be <br />allowed with counties playing a role in the process. <br />Other Goals <br />• Clarify Yard Waste Facility Runoff Statutes — Seek legislation to clarify that runoff from yard <br />waste staging areas at county landfills does not require wastewater treatment. <br />• Create Study Commission on Horizontal Drilling and Hydraulic Fracturing — Seek legislation to <br />create a Study Commission on horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing for shale gas deposits. <br />o Explanation: Shale gas deposits are known to exist in parts of piedmont North Carolina <br />along the Triassic basin. Existing legislation addressing mining issues in North Carolina is <br />dated eg: 1945. Many related issues that we now are aware of aren't addressed in that <br />legislation and, as new technologies arise, those techniques should be carefully <br />considered prior to the permitting of any actual drilling or mining operations. Our <br />request is to have the study commission carefully review this mining process and <br />produce legislative recommendations to ensure that public health and safety issues <br />related to natural gas drilling and extraction are fully addressed for the benefit of <br />citizens and for the environment. <br />• <br />