Minutes - April 2, 2012 Regular Meeting

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BK:00024 PG:0833 LEE COU rnoC)Q a— .7 -- 01 0a _ Committed Today for a Better Tomorrow RESOLUTION BY THE LEE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS SUPPORTING THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND THE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES EFFORTS TO DEVELOP SOUND LEGISLATION AND POLICIES FOR THE EXTRACTION OF NATURAL GAS IN NORTH CAROLINA WHEREAS, the North Carolina General Assembly instructed the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources to conduct a study on the extraction of Natural Gas and provide recommendations on the "best practices" of the gas industry; and WHEREAS, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources has released their preliminary report on the practice of natural gas drilling in our State and held public hearings on the report in Sanford and Chapel Hill; and WHEREAS, the Lee County Commissioners have been educating themselves on the practices used in the United States for natural gas extraction and will continue to do so as this legislative process goes forward; and WHEREAS, the Lee County Environmental Affairs Board has sent a letter to the State Senate Committee for Energy Policy asking them to take into consideration many issues that will affect Lee County if natural gas drilling is allowed in our County; and NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Lee County Board of Commissioners supports the following as the North Carolina General Assembly and Department of Environment and Natural Resources moves forward in the development of Legislation, rules and regulations for Natural Gas Exploration in North Carolina: 1} The Goal of the State Legislation will be for Natural Gas Exploration and Extraction in North Carolina to be a model enterprise for other States to follow. 2) The legislation must protect the environment of our State and must require the gas industry to ensure that any damage is repaired at industry expense. 3) The State of North Carolina puts permitting processes in place that protect our State and create a process that encourages the gas industry to develop in our State. To enable this, a regulatory and oversight authority should be established to create, help implement and manage all regulatory protocols to assure full compliance with regulatory legislation. Local governments should also be a part of this process.