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December 22, 2009 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Ellie Kinnaird Happy holidays from Raleigh.

This newsletter highlights several environmental issues.

During the last session, we passed new regulations for development near sensitive coastal creeks and marshes to prevent pollution. Coastal waters provide habitats for oysters, clams and mussels, as well as recreation for people. In recent years, more than 56,000 acres of designated shell fishing areas have been closed permanently from pollution. Explosive development is responsible for the pollution. Houses, shopping malls and other paved surfaces allow pesticides, petroleum products and other pollutants to wash into the beds. A compromise on measures to control runoff with developers, realtors and other commercially interested parties was crafted to help in the future North Carolina has received significant Stimulus money which will help the environment by weatherizing sub-standard homes owned by low income families. We received $47,000,000 to train workers, identify eligible homes and bring them up to standard by cutting their energy costs and reducing their energy usage.

In Person County, Person Industries, an agency that provides services and work opportunity for developmentally disabled persons, has established a recycling facility to serve county residents. It is a state-of-the-art Materials Recovery Facility that will provide both jobs for its clients and a great service to the county. Congratulations to Wanda Rogers for her vision and true leadership to help both her clients and the environment. She had the support of PCPRIDE, an active grassroots group that has worked for enlarging recycling as an alternative to the expansion of the landfill.

Because of the economic downturn, the Legislature could only budget half of the $100 million for the Clean Water Trust Fund to combat water pollution. However, it was better than last year when the Governor had to take it all just to balance the budget. This fund was the vision of President Pro Tem Marc Basnight, who created it 15 years ago. This worthy project has benefited the state with upgraded sewer plants and the clean-up of streams and many miles of protected land.

We instituted a tax-free holiday for energy-efficient appliances.

The Environmental Review Commission was presented with an update on climate change by a UNC Professor. We also heard about the control of emissions by limiting unnecessary idling of on-road heavy duty trucks to 5 consecutive minutes in any 60 minute period. This would save up to 9 million gallons of fuel per year and up to 1300 tons of Nitrogen oxides (NOx).A new approach to help those drivers who either have refrigerator trucks or sleeper-berth cabs, is an electric pack that the truck could plug into at truck stops for a fee. Tour buses and schools buses often leave their motors running for hours at a time. Last session we appropriated a $500,000 match to retrofit school buses.

I was honored to attend a salute to Orange County veterans in November. I sat next to the mother of a young soldier killed in Iraq. She was presented a plaque honoring him. It was very moving. I took home a Marine pin for my husband who is a veteran of WWII and a poppy for my lapel.





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Paid for by Ellie Kinnaird for Senate • Campaign Address: PO Box 668, Carrboro, NC 27510 • 919-918-3432
Legislative Office Address: Room 628 LOB, 300 N. Salisbury St., Raleigh, NC 27603 •