NC: Stop Clear Cutting Trees for Billboards!
Last year the North Carolina state legislature passed a law allowing billboard companies to chop down more trees near their NC billboards. This new law even overrules local town rules on billboards. These companies are now lobbying the NC Department of Transportation to ensure that they can cut down as many trees as possible.
Recently, the Executive Director of the billboard companies' lobbying group spoke at a public hearing on this issue and gave some pretty incredible reasons why it would be good to cut down more trees, including these "facts":
- cutting down trees will help stop global warming,
- trees increase air pollution, and
- trees are the reason for worsening droughts.
He was completely serious in his comments.
No one comes to North Carolina to see our billboards. Take action today and urge your NC legislators to oppose any new efforts to let billboard companies cut down more trees in our state.
Dear decision-maker,
I'm troubled by the billboard law passed by the General Assembly and urge you to reconsider in the future. Local governments and their constituents should retain the right to decide how they present their communities to visitors. Many North Carolina communities do not want more prominent billboards or clear cut trees as a way to welcome visitors. No one comes to North Carolina to visit our billboards.
[Your comments will be inserted here]
Please reconsider the billboard law passed recently in the state legislature and let North Carolina's communities decide for themselves how to manage this issue.
Sincerely,
[Your name here]
