Dr. Donald van der Vaart, senior fellow at the John Locke Foundation and former secretary of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, discusses his new column for TheHill.com. Its headline: “Environmentalists should lead the charge against electric vehicles.” Read it here: https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/536296-environmentalists-should-lead-the-charge-against-electric-vehicles.
Dr. Donald van der Vaart, John Locke Foundation senior fellow, assesses a newly announced settlement among N.C. state government, Duke Energy, and the Sierra Club over costs of Duke’s coal ash cleanup. State Attorney General Josh Stein touts the settlement as saving N.C. electricity ratepayers more than $1 billion.
From extended COVID-19 shutdowns to unexpected government fines, owners of alcohol-related businesses in North Carolina have faced special challenges in the past year. John Trump, Carolina Journal managing editor, recaps some of the industry’s key concerns. Bar owners and operators across North Carolina filed lawsuits just before the Christmas holiday. The suits challenge the executive...
Dr. Donald van der Vaart, John Locke Foundation senior fellow, discusses President-elect Joe Biden’s choices for key federal government environmental jobs. That includes the choice of Michael Regan from North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Van der Vaart offered these comments during an interview with Donna Martinez for...
Dr. Donald van der Vaart, John Locke Foundation senior fellow, discusses Michael Regan’s potential impact as administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Van der Vaart offered these comments during the Dec. 18, 2020, edition of Spectrum News 1’s “Capital Tonight.”
The N.C. attorney general can’t keep and distribute money from a settlement over hog waste that leaked and overflowed from lagoons. A split 2-1 panel of the N.C. Court of Appeals, in an opinion issued Tuesday, Dec. 15, ruled money resulting from a settlement between Smithfield Foods and the N.C. attorney general must flow into...
North Carolina welcomes a new state superintendent of public instruction in 2021. Republican Catherine Truitt will take the job after serving as leader of the online-only Western Governors University in this state. Truitt also served as former Republican Gov. Pat McCrory’s top education adviser. Terry Stoops, John Locke Foundation vice president for research and resident...
Elections for president, U.S. Senate, and governor grabbed the headlines. But North Carolinians addressed many other items during the recent election, including local referendums on issues such as taxes, bonds, and alcohol. Joseph Coletti, John Locke Foundation senior fellow, analyzes the results of local referendum votes across the state. While Democrat Joe Biden has declared...
Dr. Donald van der Vaart, John Locke Foundation senior fellow, discusses Gov. Roy Cooper’s energy plan as Cooper prepares for a second term. Van der Vaart offered these comments during an interview with Donna Martinez for Carolina Journal Radio.
Federal taxpayers cannot afford another bailout of state and local governments. Joseph Coletti, the John Locke Foundation’s senior fellow, explains why in a column he co-wrote for TheHill.com. Coletti contends most state governments have fared better than expected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Throwing more money at them now would lead to waste while continuing to...
Dr. Donald van der Vaart, John Locke Foundation senior fellow and former secretary of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, responds to a National Review article titled “Toward a Conservative Environmentalism.” Van der Vaart offered these comments for the John Locke Foundation’s “HeadLocke” podcast.
