Bill > H385

This bill makes various changes to energy and environmental laws in North Carolina. It requires the Department of Environmental Quality to report on applications for permits for natural gas pipelines and gas-fired electric generation facilities, increases the punishment for property crimes against critical infrastructure, prohibits the acquisition of quartz mining operations and lands containing high purity quartz by certain foreign governments, expands the requirements for water quality certification for certain projects, limits the ability of public water and sewer systems to impose unauthorized conditions and implement preference systems for allocating service to residential development, makes changes to natural gas local distribution company rate adjustment mechanisms, excludes aquaculture from the definition of "development" for coastal area management purposes, establishes a time limit for the Department of Environmental Quality's review of applications to construct or alter a public water system, modifies rules for the replacement of docks, piers, and walkways in coastal areas, prohibits certain backflow preventer requirements by public water systems, exempts certain food service establishments from septage management firm permitting requirements, authorizes the replacement of certain erosion control structures, adds compost to the right to farm/nuisance actions statute, updates the regulatory fee for the Rural Electrification Authority, amends eligibility criteria for an animal waste fertilizer conversion cost-share program, and establishes new methodologies and permitting requirements for the discharge of treated domestic wastewaters to certain surface waters.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Government Affairs, Justice

https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2023/H385