Natural Resources
Clean air and water for our families’ health must be a continuing high priority for all leaders in North Carolina. This issue represents a special challenge today, as North Carolina’s population is expected to grow by nearly 40% over the next 25 years. Dan is exceptionally well-prepared to address this key challenge. (See the "Leadership" page on this site for details.) The following items are priorities in this area.
1) We must make a commitment to enforcement of our laws controlling air and water pollution. This will require sufficient penalties against violators, and adequate enforcement staff resources to monitor and investigate toxic spills, excess pollution discharges, and unpermitted air emissions.
2) Our local governments must have the resources they need to achieve and maintain the best waste treatment possible. Supporting the needs of our growing population and economy will require steps that include adequate and timely construction bond support for water and sewer infrastructure needs.
3) We must continue to improve the management of our urban stormwater runoff. Improved stormwater runoff management will reduce flooding problems, protect our drinking water supplies, and conserve our fish and wildlife and recreational resources.
4) We must improve the effectiveness of our erosion and sediment control efforts. Sediment is still the number one source of water pollution in North Carolina. This effort will involve doing a better job of managing erosion from new construction, as well as continued emphasis on helping our farmers reduce costly loss of topsoil.
5) Fishing, hunting and swimming. These activities are part of the outdoor heritage of every North Carolinian. We must protect that heritage for our children and grandchildren, and all future generations.
6) We must conserve our rivers, lakes, wetlands and natural areas. Part of insuring our natural heritage is the stewardship of those resources. This must be accomplished through a combination of reasonable regulations on new development in green areas, incentives for voluntary conservation, and the full funding of our critical natural area trust funds.
7) We must shape transportation plans and policies with a clear understanding of their impacts on growth, urban development, and our environment. Our transportation and land use plans and policies must be carefully coordinated, in order to maintain our healthy environment and abundant natural resources.
8) Our state and local parks and greenways should be expanded and protected. Greenways also improve stream buffers and wildlife corridors, as well as expanding “green” transportation networks. Parks and greenways (linear parks with biking/pedestrian paths) are an excellent tool for promoting healthy outdoor recreation.
9) Our waste management policies must emphasize waste reduction and recycling. It is vital that we reduce the need for new landfill space, and the inevitable conflicts between land uses that result from landfill expansion.
10) In all of these efforts, we must work to make our approaches as efficient and "business friendly" as reasonably possible. Strong environmental and public health protections ultimately make good economic sense. In crafting those laws, we need to be mindful of the short-term costs to business as well, and work to make our rules and programs clear, consistent, reasonable, and as efficient as possible.