Raleigh N&0 Editorial Approves HB 2499, And Further Musings On What To Do

Archived from WNC Citizens Blog.

The bill is moving through the House and Senate on its way to Governor Easley's desk. Drawing on recent experience, Easley had sought added powers for future governors in droughts that are sure to come. Now his successors are likely to get some of those powers.

Chief among the lessons of 2007-08 is that simply waiting for rain won't work in a state where water demand has increased more than reservoir capacity. We are, as Rep. Verla Insko of Chapel Hill put it, "no longer a water-wealthy state."

So we have to use water more wisely, along with creating new supplies. The bill requires municipal water systems to produce conservation plans, and gives the state the power to order up stricter measures in an emergency. Crucially, the state will be able to tell water systems with a surplus that they must share with nearby cities (and be compensated for it).

Source: Raleigh News & Observer

I note that the editorial does not mention this portion of the bill:

Section 4. (a):
(9) Any member of the Commission or any person authorized by it, shall have the right to enter upon any private or public lands or waters for the purpose of making investigations and studies reasonably necessary in the gathering of facts concerning streams and watersheds, subject to responsibility for any damage done to property entered.

I suppose one might conclude that if the "person authorized by the Commission" needed to damage a fence in order to gain access to a property, or waltz through crops or expensive plantings to reach his or her destination, then the State would pay for the damages. This sounds to me like the State of North Carolina has given its agents permission to break and enter.

And no where in the editorial is a voice raised against the objectionable content of Section 6:

SECTION 6. The Environmental Review Commission, as part of its ongoing study of the allocation of water resources in the State required by Section 1 of S.L. 2007‑518, shall study whether and to what extent private groundwater wells and the use of water produced by private groundwater wells should be regulated by the State or units of local government. The Environmental Review Commission shall report its findings and recommendations, including any legislative proposals, to the General Assembly as provided by Section 1 of S.L. 2007‑518, as amended.

They are going "to study" whether or not private wells and their use should be regulated by the State or local governments. The editor apparently does not object to the government regulating the use of the well located on your property and paid for by you. What do you want to bet that you will pay for that well to "be regulated" as well?

And, in order to "monitor" your water usage, I imagine that they will put a water meter on your well, rather than relying upon your, or your neighbor's reporting.

Where are the voices raised in opposition to this criminally oppressive piece of legislation?

I will be conducting a survey of people running for office in this part of the state to get their opinion as to whether or not they support this legislation.

And one more thing that I have noticed...in their articles, the Legacy Media types rarely, if ever, refer to legislation by it's number that would allow readers to investigate the matter for themselves. In not one of the online articles is a link to the legislation or voting record provided to assist the voter in seeking further information.

Links for this legislation may be found in my previous post.

I had to dig to find out what the bill actually said, and how each member voted. It was not a pleasant experience, which got me to wondering...

There needs to be a better system for getting the news out to people about what exactly is going on in Raleigh in the General Assembly. We need to put some eyes and ears to the proceedings, and establish a way for people to easily share what their elected representatives are doing, voting, and saying.

Goodness knows we can't trust the newspapers to report anything other than what fits their agenda.