2007 Legislative Agenda

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The following are elements of a legislative agenda being proposed by the Canary Coalition to the general public, the environmental community, the news media and to members of the NC General Assembly. These measures are being proposed as steps that will result in better health, cleaner air, a stronger economy, and more energy independence for the people of North Carolina.

1) A reversal of the electric utility rate-paying structure

• Due to dramatic negative health, environmental and economic impact caused by conventional electricity production, affecting the entire population , electricity cannot continue to be bought and sold, subject to normal market dynamics, that is, the more purchased, the less expensive per unit. Instead, there will be an economic incentive promoting conservation built into the rate-paying structure. Less per capita energy use will result in a lower price per kilowatt. The purpose of this policy is to eliminate the need for increased energy production in order to limit the health, environmental and economic damage caused by conventional fossil fuel and nuclear power production. Economic incentive will be the driving force toward innovation in energy efficiency, benefiting rate payers while increasing industrial profits and creating jobs.

2) Implementation of a pollution fee levied against the purchase of non-efficient lightbulbs, appliances and industrial equipment 

• This will provide another strong economic incentive to drive innovation in energy efficiency.  In addition to avoiding this fee, residential and industrial ratepayers who invest in energy efficiency will yield lower energy bills and higher profits. Revenues collected from this fee will be used to help fund the State Energy Office, NC Green Power projects and pollution regulatory enforcement programs.

3) Facilitation of net-metering, accompanied by a strong government promotional campaign encouraging residential renewable energy production and interconnection with the existing electrical grid

• Unnecessary legal and technical obstacles will be removed from the current net-metering rules in order to encourage a more safe, renewable, diverse, de-centralized and resilient electrical grid system.

4) Establishment of a state-wide study commission to determine the least-cost method of meeting future public utility-produced energy demand, including in the assessment the cost of health and environmental impact to the entire population, of all technologies and methods used

• This commission will also include an assessment of full-fuel cycles and decommissioning costs. Costs of energy efficiency and conservation programs coupled with wind, solar and biomass electrical production will be weighed and compared to total costs of coal, nuclear and natural gas including health and environmental impact to the entire population.  No licenses will be granted for new utility-owned electrical power production facilities except as consistent with the findings of this commission’s least-cost study.

5) Clarification of the windmill exemption in the Ridge Law to remove legal obstacles to the development of large-scale wind energy in North Carolina

• Although the windmill exemption originally was inserted into the NC Ridge Law to accommodate the largest windmill in the world at that time (a two-megawatt turbine in the NASA project at Howard Knob in Watauga County) the language used in the law is ambiguous and has enabled opponents to claim that only small or ornamental windmills are permissible. Wind technology has made dramatic strides in the past twenty years since the Howard Knob project.  Large turbines are now stunningly quiet, efficient and slender. Space-age composite materials have eliminated radio and television signal interference. Slow blade rotation has reduced aviary danger. Construction costs per kilowatt capacity for wind energy is now on a par with coal-burning power plants and far less costly than nuclear power plants. Wind is the fastest growing energy source in the world and North Carolina should take advantage of its vast wind resources to help achieve energy independence while reducing air pollution and other health and environmental impacts caused by burning coal and proliferating radioactive materials.

6) Direct the Department of Transportation (DOT) to begin developing a plan for a comprehensive state-wide public transportation system in North Carolina

• With the population increasing as petroleum becomes inevitably more expensive and less available world-wide, it's time to begin thinking about a more diverse transportation system in North Carolina that will reduce impact on our health and the environment, particularly on air quality and climate change. In addition, there are entire sectors of the population who don't have access to adequate transportation. Senior citizens often can't drive. Handicapped people often can't drive. Low-income people often don't have cars or lack the ability to maintain safe, reliable personal vehicles.  And having more public transportation could reduce drunk driving. There are many benefits that will be derived from the development of a comprehensive state-wide public transportation system.