Five former N.C. governors urged voters to reject the constitutional amendments the legislature has approved for the ballot in November’s election, as the Southern Environmental Law Center and the NAACP launch a court challenge.
In real estate, location is everything, and the perilous site of the Kure Beach condominium complex called The Riggings make it a textbook example of challenges in managing coastal development.
The legislature in June threw a lifeline to The Riggings, a condo complex in Kure Beach threatened by erosion since its construction, but the sandbag rule change is just another short-term fix in a losing battle with the ocean.
A July Fourth fireworks display lights up the boardwalk at Carolina Beach, one of many North Carolina beach communities that celebrated the holiday with fireworks over the water. Photo: Kirk Ross
One of the General Assembly’s six proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot this fall would significantly shift toward the legislature the state’s longstanding balance of power in environmental regulation.
Both a major rewrite of shellfish leasing laws and an attempt to resolve an issue with leases in the Masonboro Nature Island Reserve were left unresolved as the General Assembly’s session ended Friday.
Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed seven bills Monday ahead of the midnight deadline, including the latest regulatory rollback and a measure that limits the ability of neighbors of large pork and poultry operations to win in nuisance lawsuits.
A controversial shellfish aquaculture bill appeared stalled at the week’s end, but the N.C. General Assembly has already approved dozens of coastal provisions in their rush to wrap up the session by the end of the month.
Gov. Roy Cooper, citing Wednesday legislative leaders’ “authoritarian power grab,” vetoed the budget approved last week, a move Republicans are expected to override.
Among other coastal provisions, Republicans’ state budget proposal released Monday commits $15 million for a dredge for Oregon Inlet and $5 million to the N.C. Policy Collaboratory for GenX research.
