Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration ended months of speculation by approving a key water-quality permit for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. While complaints from environmental activists grabbed headlines, Cooper also raised eyebrows by announcing the creation of a new fund totaling nearly $58 million. Cooper says the money can fund more than just mitigation of the pipeline’s environmental impact. The funds might also pay for economic development and renewable energy projects. Critics contend this money represents a “slush fund.” Rick Henderson, Carolina Journal editor-in-chief, analyzes the pipeline’s latest developments. Much has changed in N.C. politics during the past 19 years. The “NC SPIN” program has documented those changes for television viewers across the state. Now, after celebrating the milestone of its 1,000th episode, “NC SPIN” has moved to a new home on UNC public television. Program creator and moderator Tom Campbell shares insights from following the state’s political developments for the past two decades. A 2017 data breach has prompted policy changes at the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. During a recent legislative review of those changes, Rep. Nelson Dollar, R-Wake, questioned HHS Secretary Mandy Cohen about accountability. Driverless cars are on their way to N.C. highways. The state Department of Transportation is devoting some attention now to issues that must be addressed to accommodate those cars. Kevin Lacy, state traffic engineer, outlined some key questions N.C. DOT is considering as it ponders a future with driverless cars, also known as “autonomous vehicles.” President Trump wants new tariffs on foreign-made washing machines, solar panels, and other items. These tariffs would amount to a tax on American consumers. Roy Cordato, John Locke Foundation senior economist, explains why these tariffs represent a bad approach to public policy.
Carolina Journal Radio No. 769: Pipeline fund generates controversy
Related
Politics should be less important
It might sound odd to hear this from someone who’s been writing a syndicated column on politics for nearly four decades, but politics has become vastly more important in our lives than it should be. Virtually every decision we make in our ostensibly free society is now subject to review, refinement, and reversal by some...
VinFast changes gears again over size of assembly building
In what might be called a case of whiplash, Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast has once again changed plans for its $4 billion electric vehicle factory in Moncure, Chatham County.
State gets pleasant April surprise
I’ve never been more delighted to be mistaken. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a column observing that, over the first eight months of the 2023-24 fiscal year, the state’s General Fund revenue was down slightly from what was collected during the first eight months of the previous fiscal year. North Carolina faced no...
NCSBE report leaves questions about early voting site deadline change
A report given by Karen Brinson Bell, executive director for the North Carolina State Elections Board (NCSBE), along with Paul Cox, general counsel for NCSBE, to a Joint Legislative Elections Oversight Committee on Wednesday not only gave a wrap-up of the March primary and addressed other issues, but also raised questions by some on a contradictory measure taken by the board recently regarding early voting site changes.