More Bad Air Blowing from the NC Gen'l Assembly

Senate Bill 3, passed back in the General Assembly's salad days of 2007, established requirements for utility companies to acquire a growing percentage of their power from renewable sources (a "growing percentage" which is still a tiny fraction of the generated power). Senate Bill 3 made North Carolina the first state in the Southeast to adopt a Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard.

The New Republican Radicals hate renewable energy and are busy repealing Senate Bill 3. Yesterday, in a NC House Commerce subcommittee, the repeal was approved on a 11-10 vote which was not -- surprise! -- totally party-line. Rep. Ruth Samuelson of Mecklenburg and Rep. Tom Murry of Wake County broke with their Republican brethren and voted against the repeal.

This came after two hours of testimony from a coalition of environmentalists and hog farmers (hog farmers!) and solar developers and small farmers who have experienced economic development opportunities because of Senate Bill 3.

Renewable energy -- and the 2007 initiative that mandates that the big power companies buy it from producers -- has meant real economic benefits for particularly rural counties in North Carolina. But that means jobs, and this General Assembly is much more interested in privatizing education, declaring a state religion, and preventing college students from voting.