North Carolina
Related: About this forumNorth Carolina Moves to Toss Out Regulators
The bill, which would affect 131 regulators, will now be considered in the state house. Dumping all the current members of the commissions would allow the newly instated Republican governor, Pat McCrory, to replace them. The Charlotte Observer has more on the plan. As you might imagine, Democrats are livid:
"I think it is a breathtaking and unprecedented power grab there's no other way to describe it," said Senate Minority Whip Josh Stein, D-Wake, adding that removing everyone at once means the panels lose expertise in things such as regulating power companies and coastal issues.
"Look, they won. I understand that Gov. McCrory gets to make appointments," Stein said, "but their throwing the entire thing out so they can put their folks on is just wrong."
While trying to deny that it's a political play, Republican lawmakers basically said that yes, that's what it is:
The new "administration may see fit to have the people on boards and commissions that, let's say, are more like minded and who are willing to carry out the desires, if you will, or the philosophy of the new administration," [Sen. Bill] Rabon told committee members.
The Observer editorialized against the bill on Friday, calling it a "dangerous power grab." The paper also points out how the bill would affect some of the state's most important environmental regulatory bodies:
In some instances, it strips requirements that have been seen as protecting the publics interest. At the Coastal Resources Commission, for instance, the governor would no longer have to appoint at least one person associated with a conservation organization. He would, however, have to appoint two experienced in land development. At the Environmental Management Commission, the governor would no longer have to appoint a doctor with experience in the health effects of environmental pollution; he would still be required to appoint a person who is employed by or recently retired from an industrial manufacturing facility.
Ousting all the regulators could dramatically affect coastal planning. North Carolina is among the states that are already seeing effects from sea level rise. But last year, the legislature decided to pretend climate change doesn't exist rather than let it interfere in their coastal development plans, voting to bar state scientists from factoring sea level rise into coastal projections.
http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2013/02/north-carolina-moves-toss-out-regulators
aquart
(69,014 posts)The governor wants dead citizens and he's going to get them.
Property values ain't going up in North Carolina.
movonne
(9,623 posts)can the people of NC stand still for this shit..it will turn into a shit hole...
SoCalNative
(4,613 posts)the sore losers in the GOP are making it their mission to drag this country to the bottom so that they can blame it on the brown person in the White House.
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)I don't think the GOP is at all concerned about what the WH might do, someday, maybe.
upaloopa
(11,417 posts)Of they don't know by now they are getting screwed they never will.
barbtries
(28,799 posts)unfortunately we must all suffer for it.
nc4bo
(17,651 posts)We did not all vote for this crap and it will be a crapfest craptopia shortly - it won't even take 4 years. We're working on month 2 and the stench is already overpowering.
Dems here have some damn work to do and they best get started right now. This idiot Governor is going to do what his masters tell him to do come hell or high water.
I feel sick just thinking about it.
octoberlib
(14,971 posts)I saw Eric Cantor on MSNBC talking about education. He basically said the same thing McCrory's been saying about the "educational elite". All of these Repub congressmen and governors in OH, MI etc. are following the same ALEC/Koch script.
ProfessionalLeftist
(4,982 posts)littlewolf
(3,813 posts)1.
At the Coastal Resources Commission, for instance, the governor would no longer have to appoint at least one person associated with a conservation organization. He would, however, have to appoint two experienced in land development
so instead of someone who knows something conservation he appoints someone who can develop seaside property? stupid!
2. At the Environmental Management Commission ...
he would still be required to appoint a person who is employed by or recently retired from an industrial manufacturing facility.
this is crazy.
alarimer
(16,245 posts)They are evil. Republicans are EVIL.
This is such a nightmare. My job, although not associated with any of those commissions, is probably not long for this world, if that evil piece of shit has his way.