If the North Carolina Senate has it’s way, the state could become a dumping ground for others’ trash. But only if the House and Governor McCrory go along with it.
Now headed to the House, Senate Bill 328 is “jam-packed” with bad ideas, says NC Conservation Network. It would not only significantly weaken environmental standards for new landfill sites, but it would roll back protections that ensure proper management of existing landfills and their surrounding communities.
Outrageously radical, the bill would outright eliminate wetland, stream and endangered wildlife protections and allow landfill sites as close as 1,500 feet to sensitive areas like national wildlife refuges and parks.
One of NC’s greatest attractions has always been its beautiful natural resources. We can’t allow the NC Senate to spoil this state for tourists and its residents.
Tell the NC House and Governor McCrory: Don’t you dare turn NC into a trash dump.
We, the undersigned, are appalled at the thought of what the NC Senate is trying to do to this beautiful state, its visitors and its residents.
Aside from what this bill would do to the local wildlife and residents’ quality of life and health - as well as the environment, the senate’s attempt to focus on attracting trash as a priority over tourism is economically insane. Trash and tourism don’t mix.
USA Today notes that despite the recent economic recession, North Carolina continued to enjoy growth in tourism, with visitors spending over $15 million in the state in 2009 alone.
Few other states offer the diversity of attractions NC does. It ranks sixth in the US for travel volume, and most of its attractions are its natural resources, from the mountains in the west to Cape Hatteras on the Atlantic Ocean.
It is also a top destination for film productions. But all of this could change if you allow this bill to spoil this state and the best it has to offer.
We ask the NC House and Governor McCrory to reject Senate Bill 328 and any other effort to attract trash to North Carolina.
Thanks for your time.
