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Friday Roundup
posted at 2007-01-12 17:31 | Last modified 2007-11-14 10:38
It's a pretty quiet day today on Jones St., as most Fridays are. But there's a rustling in the undergrowth that lets you know session isn't far away. Office lights are on. Recycling cans are stuffed full of last year's bill drafts Odd bits of jetsam - old binders, DVDs, candy dishes - appear in the courtyards, looking for new homes. New legislators are starting to decorate their offices. The lobbyists are starting to trickle back in. Yep, it's time, all right.
Year of the Greens?
The Leg. Comm on Global Climate Change met this morning to talk about their proposed legislation for the session. Panel member Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford) says this might be the year North Carolina gets a renewable energy portfolio standard -- that is, a requirement that power utilities generate a certain amount of their energy from renewable sources like hydro, wind, and biomass. That last category includes poultry litter (don't ask) and hog waste (!!) as potential resources, although the consultants who did the state's feasibility study say you don't get a lot of net energy out of hog waste. (But shouldn't just getting rid of the stuff count for something?)
Harrison says any portfolio standard bill will likely also include some energy efficiency requirements for consumer goods, like appliances and housing. Last year, the idea went nowhere. But this time, even the industry folks seem inclined to cooperate. Maybe it's because "global warming" has become such a hot (sorry!) topic.
This may be a good year for environmentalists overall. Word from the Senate side is that Senate pro tem Marc Basnight's agenda this year is heavy on environmental issues. And Speaker nominee Joe Hackney is pretty green, too.
Harrison's also planning to resurrect her coastal hazards mitigation bill this year I can hear the realtors' lobby drawing their swords already.
Story of the Day
NYT's Andy Newman shadows a groundhog and his trainer as they prepare for his media debut February 2nd.
Disclaimer: This has nothing to do with politics OR North Carolina. I just think it's great writing, period. And hey - it's Friday!
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