Summer 1998
Green Budget / Green Scissors 1998
Green Budget / Green Scissors 1998
| New or Expanded Programs -- Appropriations | $91.2 million |
| Elimination of Programs or Subsidies -- Cuts | $88.1 million savings |
| Reallocation of Budget -- Budget Neutral | TOTAL COST TO TAXPAYERS: $3.1 million |
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Natural Heritage Protection |
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| Staffing for State Parks | park staff at Falls and Jordan Lakes, will be supplemented by estimated $130,000 in additional campground receipts | $240,000 |
| staff for Natural Heritage Program surveys | $240,000 | |
| staff for State Park biological staff | $250,000 | |
| Staff support for Conservation Grant Fund. Support incentive-based land conservation program within Division of Parks & Recreation | $300,000 | |
| Eliminate Deforestation Tax Credit. Eliminate the tax credit for shipping wood chips through the State Ports. | $100,000 (elimination of subsidy) | |
| Fund Critical Land Purchases -- Gorges State Park and Blue Ridge Parkway | full funding for the purchase Jocassee Gorges State Park (note that the Governor's budget calls for $7.5 million but anticipates matching funds), and provide initial operating funds | $10 million (purchase) $345,000 (initial operations) |
| Easements to protect the Blue Ridge Parkway | $2 million | |
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Clean Water Initiative |
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| River Basin Management. Continue the initiatives to implement basinwide enhancement through education, data management, and planning (note that Governor's budget also included the Conservation Grant Fund that we placed in the Natural Heritage Protection section above). | $2.8 million | |
| Monitoring, rapid response and research. Expand DENR's ability to monitor recreational water quality, groundwater, and nutrients; rapid response to fish kills and pfiesteria; research into nutrient reduction and innovative technology. | $7.9 million | |
| Reduction of urban and agricultural runoff. Provide for water quality foresters in the Division of Forest Resources; monitor groundwater from animal and municipal waste land application systems; and additional staff for sedimentation control program (recommended by Sedimentation Control Commission). | $4 million | |
| Continue Agricultural Cost Share program. Assist farmers to reduce sedimentation
and nutrient runoff. There needs to a clear effort to direct these funds where they are most needed. |
$4.5 million | |
| Improve compliance with water quality laws. Expand programs for drinking water wells
and on-site wastewater, spill reduction at wastewater treatment plants. |
$7 million | |
| Revolving funds | revolving fund for wastewater projects to match $24.3 million from US EPA grant | $4.8 million |
| drinking water plant upgrades to match $12.9 million from US EPA grant | $2.6 million | |
| Marine Fisheries. Consolidate the advances from last session's reform package, including funds for fishery management plans and coastal fisheries habitat. | $4 million | |
| Contaminated Wells. Create a fund administered by DENR to provide assistance to residents
whose wells have been contaminated by agricultural activities outside their control, such as pesticide use or hog lagoons. |
$250,000 | |
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Transit Alternatives |
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| Reallocation of Highway Fund. Direct NCDOT to reallocate its budget for transit projects and locally established road priorities | $150 million REALLOCATION |
| Eliminate DOT Boondoggles. Eliminate funds for construction of Eno Drive in Durham County ($100 million); unnecessary paving of all dirt roads in the State ($100 million); widening of Route 16 in Ashe County ($25 million); the widening of I-40 in Orange County ($80 million); the Pamlico bridge ($50 million); expansion of US 1 in Moore County ($60 million); western Winston-Salem loop ($100 million) and other unnecessary road projects. | $80 million BUDGET CUT |
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Sustainable Agriculture |
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| Research at CEFS. Provide funding to NC Department of Agriculture for the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) in Wayne County for NC State University and NC A&T University faculty and graduate research at the CEFS to monitor the effectiveness of the various farming practices and systems. | $5.5 million |
| NCSU Sustainable Agriculture Programs. Continue research and training programs in sustainable agriculture at NC State University. | $150,000 |
| Cooperative Extension and Research at NCA&T. Support farm support programs and agricultural research at NC A&T State University. | $1.5 million |
| Small Farm Marketing Promotion. Provide funds for NCDA to encourage small farming operations. | $150,000 |
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Making government work |
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| Environmental Justice. Appropriate $500,000 per year to NC Central University to provide technical and legal assistance to low-income and minority communities facing pollution problems. | $500,000 |
| Detoxification of Warren County PCB Landfill. Provide cleanup and detoxification
of State-operated PCB landfill (note that Governor's budget requested $15 million but expected some federal funds). |
$24 million |
| Eliminate the N.C. Low-level Radioactive Waste Management Authority. Continue last session's budget cuts because of inability to license selected site and lack of long-term credible funding mechanisms. | $2 million BUDGET CUT |
| Eliminate Beaver Control Program. Eliminate funds for the program that exterminates
beavers on private lands, although other available control methods maintain wildlife habitat and protect wetlands. |
$450,000 BUDGET CUT |
| Eliminate the Rule Review Commission. Defunding the RRC eliminates bureaucratic red tape and delay in rule making and repealing existing rules. | $250,000 BUDGET CUT |
| Campaign Finance Reform. The public financing option below is one of many recommendations
currently being debated; funds for this option depend on the number of candidates
taking advantage of the option, and can be reduced by tax checkoffs and other supplements. |
$5 million |
| Lead Health Program. Support for early child testing; assistance to low-income homeowners in remediation; and support for the lead certification program. | $3.2 million |
| Global TransPark wetlands program. Eliminate proposed subsidy for wetlands mitigation program at GTP; use existing GTP funds. | $5.3 million BUDGET CUT |
Chip Mills
A strategy session last month in Cary was hosted by the Western Ancient Forest
Campaign. Suggestions were generated during that statewide strategic action and planning
session lead by Lou Zeller of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League.
GOALS
TACTICS
We are called to be good stewards of the land. Comments and suggestions
welcome! Contact Lou at BREDL@skybest.com
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CCNC's Lobbying Advisory Council
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| CCNC's Organizational Members include American Grassroots Unlimited, American
Lung Assn. of NC, Anson County CACTUS, Bladen Environment, Carolina Farm Stewardship,
Carteret County Crossroads, Community United Church of Christ in Raleigh, Environmental
Re-source Center, Friends of Highway 16, Moore-FORCE, NC Division of Archives &
History, NC Waste Awareness & Reduction Network, Scenic North Carolina, Southeast
Waste Exchange, and Wake County Parks & Recreation. Phones, e-mails and addresses for the above, contact CCNC coordinator Geri at ccnc@bellsouth.net or 919-832-8083 or (fax) 919-829-1192 |
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October 3 As the planning committee firms up the conference, here are the emerging issues: considerations in sustaining NC rural communi-ties and what's being done nationally, in other states and countries urban responsibilities toward preserving rural areas agribusiness vs. the small farmer Watch for details in Sept. newsletter! |
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Next meeting If you know of someone who would be a good board member, especially from the Western part of the state, contact Nominating Committee Chair John Runkle at 919-942-0600 or jrunkle@mindspring.com |