Politicians Vote with The Money, Where Dies It Come From???

The "I Stand Against Citizens United" song is a played out song Senator Kay Hagan. Much more demands attention in our state. For those of you following her as your Democratic stance lends...she is not the one you may think she is. Senator Kay R. Hagan has reported a total of 2,426 contributions ($200 or more) totaling $2,033,428 in the 2013-2014 cycle. Search Top 20 Contributors to Campaign Cmte Rank Contributor Hires lobbyists? Lobbying firm?* Lobbyist(s) give to member? Total Indivs PACs 1 Lorillard Inc $68,806 $59,000 $9,806 2 Votesane PAC $63,450 $63,450 $0 3 Cisco Systems $51,500 $41,500 $10,000 4 Morgan Stanley $46,750 $36,750 $10,000 5 EMILY's List $42,650 $37,650 $5,000 6 Citigroup Inc $41,750 $31,750 $10,000 7 USAA $39,265 $25,265 $14,000 8 Wells Fargo $37,900 $27,900 $10,000 9 Genworth Financial $33,795 $23,795 $10,000 10 Bank of New York Mellon $32,900 $25,900 $7,000 11 MacAndrews & Forbes $26,250 $16,250 $10,000 12 Goldman Sachs $24,400 $14,400 $10,000 13 Oracle Corp $23,250 $17,750 $5,500 14 University of North Carolina $23,100 $23,100 $0 15 K&L Gates $22,750 $18,250 $4,500 16 Comcast Corp $22,575 $12,575 $10,000 17 Altria Group $22,500 $16,500 $6,000 18 Laboratory Corp of America $21,750 $11,750 $10,000 19 Bank of America $20,700 $19,700 $1,000 20 Duke Energy $20,650 $10,650 $10,000 Download: CSV CSV CSVAbout OpenSecrets.org's download options | View Top 20 | Top 100 Click on arrows to view detailed data. *registrants, or active lobbying firm This table lists the top donors to this candidate in the 2009-2014 election cycle. The organizations themselves did not donate, rather the money came from the organizations' PACs, their individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families. Organization totals include subsidiaries and affiliates. Why (and How) We Use Donors' Employer/Occupation Information METHODOLOGY NOTE: All the numbers on this page are for the 2009-2014 election cycle and based on Federal Election Commission data available electronically on Tuesday, December 17, 2013. ("Help! The numbers don't add up...") Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the Center for Responsive Politics. For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center.

MORE ON DUKE ENERGY'S COAL ASH SPILL!!!

Up To 82,000 Tons Of Toxic Coal Ash Spilled Into North Carolina River From ‘Antiquated’ Storage Pit BY JOANNA M. FOSTER ON FEBRUARY 4, 2014 AT 2:17 PM facebook icon 7,209 twitter icon 503 google plus icon email icon "Up To 82,000 Tons Of Toxic Coal Ash Spilled Into North Carolina River From ‘Antiquated’ Storage Pit" Share: Share on facebook Share on google_plusone_share google plus icon Share on email A leak at a power plant in Kingston, TN in 2009 spilled 1 billion gallons of coal ash. A leak at a power plant in Kingston, TN in 2009 spilled 1 billion gallons of coal ash. CREDIT: AP IMAGES A stormwater pipe under an unlined coal ash pond at a shuttered plant in Eden, North Carolina, burst Sunday afternoon — draining tens of thousands of tons of coal ash into the Dan River. Duke Energy, which owns the Dan River Steam Station, retired since 2012, estimates that 50,000 to 82,000 tons of coal ash and up to 27 million gallons of water were released from the 27-acre storage pond. The leak has at least temporarily been stopped, while Duke works on a more permanent solution. Coal ash is a toxic waste byproduct from burning coal, usually stored with water in large ponds. The closest community at risk from the spill is Danville, Virginia, which takes its water from the Dan River about six miles downstream of the pond. No water quality issues have been reported so far. “This is the latest, loudest alarm bell yet that Duke should not be storing coal ash in antiquated pits near our state’s waterways,” Frank Holleman, an attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) told the Charlotte Business Journal. SELC and others have been calling for Duke to remove ash from earthen basins such as the one at Dan River to more secure lined ponds to protect local water sources. Duke has 14 coal-fired power plants in the state, 7 of which have been retired. In addition to air pollution, coal-fired power plants generate millions of tons of waste every year contaminated with toxic metals including lead, mercury, arsenic, chromium, and selenium — more than two-thirds of which is dumped into landfills, storage ponds, or old mines. The Southeast is home to 40 percent of the nation’s coal ash impoundments, and according to the EPA contains 21 of the nation’s 45 high hazard dams. The nation’s most notorious coal ash spill was in 2008 at a plant operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Just a few days before Christmas, over 1 billion gallons of coal ash burst through a dam at a storage pond and damaged or destroyed two dozen homes and 300 acres of riverfront property. Late last month, the EPA announced plans to finalize the first-ever federal regulations for the disposal of coal ash by December 19, 2014. The announcement was part of a settlement in a lawsuit brought in 2012, by environmental and public health groups and a Native American tribe. In October, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the EPA must review and revise its waste regulations under the Resource and Conservation Recovery Act. The EPA has never finalized any federal regulations for the disposal of coal ash — the nation’s second-largest industrial waste stream. Duke has also garnered negative publicity recently for saying that they believe the utility is paying its customers too much for the surplus solar energy generated on residential rooftops. Duke currently pays solar customers about 11 cents per kilowatt-hour, under a decade-old net-metering standard. Electricity generated by large-scale solar operations costs the utility just 5 to 7 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Duke Energy is not on your side NC! Read please.

Duke Energy plant reports coal-ash spill By Bruce Henderson bhenderson@charlotteobserver.com Posted: Monday, Feb. 03, 2014 dan river JOHN SIMMONS - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com Duke Energy said Monday that 50,000 to 82,000 tons of coal ash and up to 27 million gallons of water were released from a pond at its retired power plant in Eden into the Dan River. Buy Photo | Store Map Data Terms of Use Report a map error Map Satellite Eden NC MORE INFORMATION Risks to local water supplies, plans to protect them Duke Energy looking to buy stakes in N.C. plants Duke Energy said Monday that 50,000 to 82,000 tons of coal ash and up to 27 million gallons of water were released from a pond at its retired power plant in Eden into the Dan River, and were still flowing. Duke said a 48-inch stormwater pipe beneath the unlined ash pond broke Sunday afternoon. Water and ash from the 27-acre pond drained into the pipe. “We’ve had some temporary solutions that have intermittently worked at times during the day, but we are still working on a short-term solution and the long-term repair,” spokeswoman Erin Culbert said shortly after 9 p.m. Monday. The pond has a liquid capacity of 155 million gallons when full, according to a recent inspection report, but was at a lower level because the Dan River power plant’s coal-fired units were retired in 2012. It’s not known how much ash was in the basin, but Culbert said most of it appears to still be in the pond. Duke said it notified local emergency managers and the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which last year sued Duke over its ash handling, on Sunday afternoon. The first public notice of the spill came from Duke at 4:03 p.m. Monday. Environmental groups that have filed lawsuits in an effort to force Duke and other utilities to remove ash stored near waterways quickly pointed out the lapse in time before public notification. The Dan River plant is about 130 miles northeast of Charlotte near the Virginia line. The North Carolina environmental agency said it notified downstream water districts of the spill. The nearest municipality that draws water from the Dan River, Danville, reported no problems with its water. Duke and the North Carolina agency took water samples from the river but said results are not yet back. Coal ash contains metals that can be toxic in high concentrations. The pond’s dam beside the river “remains secure,” Duke said. Some erosion has occurred on the side of a berm farthest from the river, it said, and engineers are working to stabilize it. Independent engineers who inspected the pond’s dam in 2009 for the Environmental Protection Agency found it in good condition, but they noted some seepage and recommended a stability study on the structure’s river side. Built in 1956, it was divided into two ponds in the 1970s. The report said the dam had “significant hazard potential” if it were breached, mainly for property and environmental damage. A security guard spotted an unusually low water level in the ash pond about 2 p.m. Sunday, Culbert said, leading to the discovery of the pipe break. Ash was visible on the banks of the Dan River on Monday, and the water was tinted gray. “While it is early in the investigation and state officials do not yet know of any possible impacts to water quality, staff members have been notifying downstream communities with drinking water intakes,” the North Carolina environmental agency reported late Monday afternoon. Danville, Va.’s water intake is about 6 miles downstream of the pond. Barry Dunkley, the city’s water director, said in a release that “all water leaving our treatment facility has met public health standards. We do not anticipate any problems going forward in treating the water we draw from the Dan River.” A 1-billion gallon spill of ash slurry at a Tennessee Valley Authority power plant in Tennessee in 2008 ignited national debate over coal ash. Last week the EPA, which had been sued by two North Carolina environmental groups among others, said it would issue the first federal rules on ash-handling by December. Duke has closed seven of its 14 North Carolina coal-fired power plants, including Dan River, and is evaluating ways to close the ash ponds at those sites. Groundwater contamination has been found around all 14 of its unlined ash ponds, although much of the contamination may occur naturally. Ash ponds are at the Allen power plant in Gaston County near Belmont and at the Riverbend plant on Mountain Island Lake near Mount Holly. North Carolina environmental officials, pressured by advocacy groups, sued Duke last year over ash handling at all its coal plants. Environmentalists say Duke should remove the ash from the retired ponds, as utilities in South Carolina have agreed to do. Henderson: 704-358-5051; Twitter: @bhender Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/02/03/4661193/duke-energy-plant-reports-coal.html#.UvE6U2JdWSp#storylink=cpy

Letter to the S.E.L.C.

To: Derb S. Carter, Jr. Director, North Carolina Offices, and whomever this may concern. Hello, My name is Peter Graves Roberts and I am seeking the NC Senate seat for District One. I am running an unsupported and unfunded Independent campaign to try and raise awareness about several issues directly affecting my county (Dare), as well as other issues such as failing nuclear facilities and hydraulic fracturing in other regions of my beautiful state. I will be clear. These are my issues with you: (1) the frivolous attack through the exploitation of legal loopholes you have undertaken has caused a very serious danger to the people of Hatteras Island. (2) your methods of "defending wildlife", including, but not limited to the blockage of a new Bonner Bridge, as currently planned by NCDOT and (3) the fact that through your efforts over the last decade have in fact set the subject of true environmentalists back, many, many years. To elaborate, and clarify my objections to your practices: Many of my fellow residents of Dare County agree with many of the aspects by which you continually block the construction of a new bridge in the current location. I concede, after many years of studying the works of Dr. Stan Riggs and working myself in the sector of environmental education, that a bridge in the same place would inevitably end in the same circumstance as we are now facing. I do not agree with the plan, in full, proposed by the NCDOT to replace the bridge as currently planned by NCDOT; however, I am at the point of placing my individual notions on the back burner for now as the citizens of Dare Co. and specifically Hatteras Island need immediate resolution to this problem and those within the NCDOT, North Carolina State Legislature and our representatives in the U.S.Congress have failed to reach a satisfactory agreement. As I understand, the plan as currently constituted by NCDOT would provide for a thirty-year bridge. If built now, this bridge would serve as nothing more than a "band-aid" in the opinion of many; however, if built, it would rectify the dangerous reality of losing the invaluable link between the southern townships and the northern Outer Banks. The recent closure, albeit short, cause nearly fatal consequences to residents living on Hatteras Island and I blame your organisation directly for this. I am not alone. I consider myself a conservationist. I have volunteered to help Network For Endangered Sea Turtles (N.E.S.T.). I have acted on behalf of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife in discovering and roping off endangered nesting sites for Least Terns, and I have spent countless hours over the last decade working the Northern beaches, educating thousands of visitors to our area about the unique geology and ecology of our extensively bio-diverse ecosystems, namely the Currituck Sound region. It brings me much sadness to see comments on social media every time a picture of a Snowy Owl is posted from the beaches of Hatteras, only to be followed by comments such as " I hope they eat all the Piping Plovers they can!" This such outrage is, in my opinion, a direct by-product of not only the frivolity with which you haplessly block progress for the residents of Hatteras Island and upper Dare County, but also the killing of ALL non-native species under the guise of the "re-wilding" campaign led by one of your major contributors The Defenders Of Wildlife. I will state again clearly; your organisation has very much contributed to the hatred of wildlife that would have otherwise gone unnoticed by most of our residents and visitors if you did not continually cite legal precedent set by C.A.M.A. and others, to block any development in the Oregon Inlet area. We are fed up. As part of my campaign I have begun emailing and calling every elected representative within our State Legislature and our U.S.Congress. I am David, if you will, and you are a "collective" Goliath, so to speak. My only ambition is to expose the ones within your organisation and our elected offices for the charlatans you truly are. My eyes have been opened after defending the very principles you and your organisations stand for. In closing, I would like to state again, very clearly, that in my opinion, and that of many concerned, ecologically minded residents of Dare County, that you are doing nothing more than giving the case of environmentalism a seriously bad reputation, and completely sabotaging the efforts of TRUE environmentalists state-wide. It is very disheartening that those within our state and U.S. offices have allowed this to go on for a decade; and I implicate our current Governor McCrory and all else involved in trying to do things "on the cheap". I have separate agendas for exposing the ills within their ilk and those of the NCDOT. I have just begun. DO NOT expect this to be a passing message. My supporters are many and are ready to see you fail, ultimately in your agenda to "re-wild" Hatteras Island and force all human residents off so that it may become a playground for the likes of your cohorts. Lastly, regarding the case of nesting turtles and bird species; I have personally witnessed the moving of turtle nests in Carova when laid in a dangerous area for the survival of the hatch-lings, and this could be done in the Oregon Inlet area as well. As for the birds, I do not feel that if construction begins on a new bridge, even as currently planned, the birds would have any problem nesting a few hundred yards down the coast. We have over 200 miles of coastline. Keep in mind the dredge spoil in Oregon Inlet now referred to as Pelican Island. They have adapted wonderfully and have thrived in that man-made location. No progress can be made until you step back, abandon your ruthless pursuit of the agendas of powerful NGO's such as D.O.W., and others whom you represent, and you come to terms that the reality of this volatile situation is met with cooperation from all sides, environmentalists, businesses, and our representatives. I have quite a few bones to pick with the latter as well. I would thank you for this opportunity to reach out, but I have the suspicion that this will just be thrown in the recycle bin along with the petitions and complaints from many individuals and groups who share my opinion. Please, let us govern ourselves. Respectfully Submitted, Pete Roberts. Pete Roberts for NC Senate, District One, 2014.

Waste water in the Haw river???

ALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The public wasn't told about a 3.5 million gallon sewage spill into the Haw River as quickly as the law requires because North Carolina environmental officials wanted to wait until the leak was stopped before it was disclosed. Burlington officials said sewage that spilled from a broken pipe at a municipal wastewater treatment plant reached the river Monday night and was not stopped until Wednesday afternoon. Public notice of the spill was not issued until Thursday, nearly four days after the leak was identified. State law requires water systems to report any spill of more than 1,000 gallons of untreated wastewater to media outlets in the affected within 48 hours of sewage reaching a river, stream or lake. N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources spokeswoman Susan Massengale said the agency told the City of Burlington it could delay the required disclosure beyond the 48 hours mandated by law. Massengale said Division of Water Quality supervisor Corey Basinger "felt that it was important to make sure that the public press release accurately represented the amount of untreated waste that entered the river and so, especially under these adverse conditions, allowed the city some extra time to make sure of the report's accuracy. Instead of the report coming out Wednesday night, it was released some time on Thursday." Massengale said Burlington officials quickly notified the state about the leak Monday night and the primary focus was on fixing the problem before a winter storm hit Tuesday. Officials said bad weather delayed the arrival of needed personnel and equipment. "As the storm moved in and the temperature dropped, the effort focused on locating appropriate equipment to handle the situation, addressing the situation and limiting the spill, and keeping personnel safe as they worked in somewhat treacherous conditions," Massengale said. Burlington water officials brought in a bypass pump to stop the sewage leak. The city did notify Pittsboro, a downstream community about 33 miles south of Burlington that gets its drinking water from the Haw River. The river then flows into Jordan Lake, a source of drinking water for Cary and Apex. Burlington officials claimed there were no noticeable adverse environmental effects on the river from the massive spill and that the cold weather likely slowed the growth of potentially harmful bacteria. The law requiring that such a spill be disclosed to the public within 48 hours does not grant discretion to state regulators to delay or defer that notification. Hope Taylor, executive director of the environmental advocacy group Clean water for North Carolina, said the state allowing Burlington officials to wait beyond 48 hours is "outrageous." "The reason for those notifications is public health and for anyone who could be impacted downstream to be aware," Taylor said. "We already think 48 hours is too long. To delay that further just for the trivial reason of not knowing the precise amount of the spill is really ridiculous." ___ Follow Associated Press writer Michael Biesecker at Twitter.com/mbieseck

FRACK ? NO!

NC fracking panel sets safe drilling distances from homes, streams BY JOHN MURAWSKI jmurawski@newsobserver.comJanuary 31, 2014 Updated 19 hours ago FacebookTwitterGoogle PlusRedditE-mailPrint COREY LOWENSTEIN — clowenst@newsobserver.com |Buy Photo MOST POPULAR STORIES UNC vs. NC State: Two teams rising at right time Triangle's best restaurants you need to taste in 2014 The South, the snow and the snickers 3.5 million gallons of sewage spill into Haw River over three days Triangle schools, businesses deal with growing popularity of e-cigarettes Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski prepares to face his ‘best friend’ in basketball, Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim TOP PHOTOS & VIDEOS The Day's Best | 01.31.14 First Look: Shop Talk's Mix and Mingle... The Day's Best | 01.29.14 The Day's Best | 01.25.14 RALEIGH — The state commission created in 2012 to create safe fracking standards has wrestled with one controversy after another and always found a way to agree unanimously – until Friday. After 2-1/2 hours of debate, the N.C Mining and Energy Commission voted 10-1 on safe drilling distances from homes, streams and other sensitive landmarks. After the vote, some commissioners congratulated themselves for what they said was one of the toughest “setback” rules in the nation. The commissioners based their decision on similar developments in other states where shale gas exploration is already underway. “I don’t want to be constrained by yesterday’s best practices,” said Commissioner George Howard, who runs a land reclamation business in Raleigh. “The new rules tend to have a long reach to them.” North Carolina’s rules dictate 650 feet as the minimum safe distance that a natural gas well can be drilled from buildings, homes and water wells. The lone holdout, Commissioner Charles Holbrook, a retired industry geologist from Chevron Corp., denounced the standards approved Friday as too strict and based on emotion. He suggested his colleagues were pandering to a vocal fringe of fracking opponents, and said 500 feet is plenty safe and would give energy companies the maneuvering room they need. “If we want to achieve what we set out to achieve – which is to bring energy development to North Carolina – then we have to be practical,” Holbrook urged his colleagues. “What you are really doing is obstructing potential energy development in the future.” Fracking rules approved by the Mining and Energy Commission are recommendations to the state legislature, which will have final say over North Carolina’s fracking standards. North Carolina’s safety distances are not the longest in the country. New York requires a safety buffer of 2,000 feet, Dallas requires 1,500 feet, and Pennsylvania and Colorado both adopted 1,000 feet for buildings or water sources. Some states grant waivers to their setbacks, and some don’t have setback rules at all. The Dallas buffer, approved by the Dallas City Council in December, is being criticized – and celebrated – as a de facto ban on future fracking. Howard said Friday’s decision to extend the setback from 500 feet to 650 feet puts North Carolina in the 90th percentile. Critics here were not placated, saying proximity to drill derricks, tanker trucks and other heavy equipment would expose residents to potential chemical spills and noxious fumes. “No, I am not comforted at all,” said Therese Vick, a community activist with the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League. “Once people have been exposed to this big burst of toxic pollutants, they cannot be unexposed. The trigger has been pulled, and the bullet cannot be called back.” Fracking remains under moratorium in the state until the Mining and Energy Commission passes 100-plus rules and the state legislature approves a rule set. The first exploratory wells would not be drilled until next year at the earliest. Fracking refers to hydraulic fracturing, a means of extracting natural gas trapped in prehistoric shale rock by drilling sideways for a mile or more and blasting the rock formations with a high-pressure blend of water, sand and chemicals. The setback distance is measured from the wellhead at the surface, where a heavy industrial operation must be set up during the drilling and fracking process. There are no objective standards on what constitutes an adequate safety buffer in fracking, commissioners said. One local fracking critic recently suggested 7 miles as a reasonable standard for North Carolina. The Mining and Energy Commission has looked to other states as lodestars, and states with experience in fracking are extending their setbacks, said Commissioner Amy Pickle, who directs the State Policy Program at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. The commission also adopted a 200-foot safety buffer for fracking from streams, wetlands and flood plains. Commissioner Holbrook dissented at every turn. “The setback changes are unnecessary and excessive and not in line with reality on the ground,” he said. Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/01/31/3580659/nc-fracking-panel-sets-safe-drilling.html#storylink=cpy

poor folks getting the short end again...

This post first appeared at ThinkProgress. North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory and his wife Ann greet the public prior to taking the oath of office during the inaugural ceremonies at the state capitol in Raleigh, NC, Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory and his wife Ann greet the public prior to taking the oath of office during the inaugural ceremonies at the state capitol in Raleigh, NC, Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) The 900,000 poorest working families in North Carolina just got another tax hike from the conservatives who swept state legislature elections in 2010. The change took effect at the beginning of 2014, meaning that the taxes those families file this spring will be the last to feature the state’s tax break for the working poor. The provision, known as the Earned Income Tax Credit or EITC, will also be 10 percent less generous in its final year. State-level EITCs work by tacking on an additional benefit to the federal EITC, and the law repealing North Carolina’s EITC for 2014 also cut the credit from 5 percent to 4.5 percent of the federal benefit. In order to qualify for the federal or state-level tax credit, tax filers must earn less than about $50,000. The goal of the credit is to buoy the incomes of working people whose employers pay them too little to provide the economic stability that having a job is supposed to ensure. Many conservatives who oppose other policies to boost poor peoples’ income, such as minimum wage hikes, support the EITC as an alternative way of keeping working people out of poverty without interfering with how private businesses operate. But that argument didn’t carry the day among North Carolina Republicans, and lawmakers slashed and then eliminated the state’s EITC during last year’s legislative session. That change was overshadowed by the GOP’s broader changes to the basic shape of the income tax code in the state to favor the rich and harm the rest. Along with the disappearance of the EITC, low-income North Carolinians will be paying higher taxes in order to pay for a tax cut for the richest people in the state. Republicans moved from a two-tiered, progressive income tax system to a flat tax rate of 5.8 percent. A person who earns a million dollars per year will get a roughly $10,000 tax cut thanks to that move, but the bottom 80 percent of the income distribution will see their taxes rise. That means that four out of five taxpayers in the state were going to pay more next year even before the EITC repeal. The combined effects of those tax changes give poor North Carolinians some incentive to move out of the state, a population shift Gov. Pat McCrory (R) hopes to encourage. There are 25 states that still offer some form of an EITC, including McCrory’s northern neighbor of Virginia, and the District of Columbia still maintains the credit as well. Alan Pyke Alan Pyke is the deputy economic policy editor for ThinkProgress.org.

More Bad News for North Carolinians in favor of clean water.

NC fracking panel passes chemical disclosure rule BY JOHN MURAWSKI jmurawski@newsobserver.comJanuary 14, 2014 Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/01/14/3532704/nc-fracking-panel-passes-chemical.html#storylink=cpy RALEIGH — Fracking companies won the right to keep secret the chemical cocktails they pump underground during shale gas drilling in North Carolina under a chemical disclosure rule approved Tuesday by the N.C. Mining and Energy Commission. The public safety standard will help the energy companies protect their secret sauce used in natural gas drilling, but critics said it would also keep residents in the dark about potent chemicals used near local farms and waterways. The rule passed unanimously after nearly three hours of intense debate Tuesday, and it follows more than a year of deliberations that had the commissioners tied up in knots. Commissioners sought to appease frightened residents, the energy industry and lawmakers eager to promote drilling for economic development. The rule as passed by the commission is merely a recommendation to the state legislature, which will have final say over fracking standards later this year or next year. But as it now stands, the rule puts North Carolina among the states that don’t require energy exploration companies to turn over corporate trade secrets to government agencies for safeguarding in case of emergency. “A lot of folks have heartburn because there are some states that do take possession of the trade secret,” said Commission Chairman James Womack. “We will have safe and responsible drilling in North Carolina.” Review of trade secrets Several experts said Tuesday that in some ways, North Carolina’s standard for chemical disclosure is more stringent than the public protections of many states that allow fracking. In this state, for example, a corporate trade secret claim would undergo an agency review to make sure it wasn’t bogus. “They get an opportunity to call B.S. on a bad claim,” said Wayne D’Angelo, a Washington D.C., lawyer who represents industrial clients on energy and environmental issues related to fracking. Shale gas exploration is under moratorium in North Carolina as the Mining and Energy Commission races to complete more than 100 regulations to protect the environment and public health. Chemicals are used in fracking to break up shale rock and release trapped gas and prevent pipe corrosion. They do not have to be publicly disclosed under a 2005 congressional exemption to the Safe Drinking Water Act, prompting states to come up with their own standards. The chemicals range from household cleansers to food additives and industrial solvents. North Carolina’s rule, if approved by lawmakers, will require that any trade secret claim be reviewed by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The review process has not been created but would require a sworn statement from the company that the trade secret has not been publicly disclosed elsewhere. “The rule requires that permitees provide relatively detailed justifications when they claim trade secrets,” said Hannah Wiseman, a law professor at Florida State University who studies fracking regulations across the country. Access complicated Operators at a drill site are required by federal law to keep a safety sheet detailing chemicals used on that site; they are also required to turn over the data to public officials during a spill or accident. But getting the same data off-site is more complicated. Such a request would be handled by calling a 24-hour phone number, to be staffed by the energy company, as called for by North Carolina’s rule. The company would have two hours to disclose the information to medical professionals and emergency responders, but it’s not clear how the company would validate that the request is legitimate and authorized. Many have criticized this process as unworkable, especially if residents complained of polluted water or delayed symptoms long after the company and its contractors had left the state. “An individual can be sick, hospitalized, drunk or have the phone off the hook,” John Wagner, a Chatham County resident, told the commission. “Access means full and immediate access, not access to material at the office, or in a safety deposit box that is available on the next business day.” Chemicals shielded as trade secrets are commonly known by chemists and scientists, so the only issue is which chemicals a company is using in its mixture, and in what combinations. “The secrecy thing is to me a joke,” said Commissioner Vikram Rao, a former chief technology officer for energy conglomerate Halliburton. “The secret, such as it is, is only of value to the competitor.” Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/01/14/3532704/nc-fracking-panel-passes-chemical.html#storylink=cpy

SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING !!!

This is just a simple note. I am not running for Senate because I wish to be a rich man, nor a politician. I am running because I am a father and a husband, a regular citizen. Back in the old days that's who ran for office, and not to get a bunch of money from special interest groups or in exchange for favors; but TO CHANGE the things that were (in their opinions) wrong about how the government was working. That is why I am seeking office. I want to raise awareness. It is also because every time you get a group of people complaining about something, inevitably one of them says "well, why doesn't someone get up and DO SOMETHING about it, instead of just complaining?" Well, I AM DOING SOMETHING. I encourage you all to do the same. Protect the interest of the children, our beautiful natural resources and the place you live. Do it for posterity...remember the preamble of the United States Constitution? we the people, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice and ensure domestic tranquility; provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of Liberty, to ourselves and our posterity; do ordain, and establish this Constitution, for THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. lets let true freedom ring out again. DO SOMETHING!!! or watch it all fall away...

new article....vote for me. and pot!

What Matters Today MONEY & POLITICS The Best Reporting on the North Carolina Takeover January 3, 2014 by John Light and Laura Macomber 372 One of the biggest political stories of 2013 — a year of DC discord and gridlock — unfolded at the state level in North Carolina. In 2012, North Carolinians elected a Republican to the governor’s office. That same year, the Republican majority in the General Assembly — first elected in 2010 — grew to a supermajority. The result was that conservatives won the power to change state law dramatically — and over this last year, they used that power. The new legislation included ending benefits for the long-term unemployed; declining the Obamacare Medicaid extension; eliminating the earned-income tax credit; and passing what some observers call the worst voter suppression law in the country. In response, those critical of the right-wing legislative agenda united around protests at the state legislature on Mondays, part of a growing citizen movement that has come to be known as “Moral Mondays.” So far, the movement, however ambitious, has done little to slow the state’s Republican majority from pushing through its agenda. But this story didn’t start on Election Day 2012 — its roots run deep. And a similar situation could unfold in any of America’s 50 states. Here’s a rundown of some essential work by reporters following the money trail in North Carolina politics and the legislative agenda it has helped usher through. A police officer watches over demonstrators and NAACP-led supporters as they congregate at Halifax Mall near the state legislature during "Moral Monday" protests at the General Assembly in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, June 24, 2013. Protesters are angry over the rightward direction of the state on economic, social, education and voting policy. They focused much of their demonstration on looming unemployment benefits cuts that will end extended benefits for about 70,000 people at the end of June. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) A police officer watched over demonstrators at a Moral Mondays protest June 24. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) How did hardline conservatives win so big in what has long been considered the South’s most moderate state? –> In The American Prospect, two writers from the progressive, nonprofit Institute for Southern Studies — Sue Sturgis and Chris Kromm — provide a comprehensive overview of the social and political forces that came together to make the moderate (and sometimes even progressive) state move hard-right. Read more » The role of redistricting –> ProPublica reported on how big money powered the redistricting of the state. Once Republicans won control of the legislature in 2010, they used their power to draw new district lines meticulously, taking into account individual households’ voting habits. It paved the way for big wins in 2012. “Redistricting is supposed to protect the fundamental principle of one-person-one-vote,” ProPublica reported. “As demographics change, lines are shifted to make sure everyone is equally represented and to give communities a voice. In order for Republicans to win in North Carolina, they undermined the votes of Democrats, especially African-Americans. The strategy began in the run-up to the 2010 elections. Republicans poured money into local races in North Carolina and elsewhere. It was an efficient approach. While congressional races routinely cost millions, a few thousand dollars can swing a campaign for a seat in the state legislature.” Read more » Who is Art Pope? –> Most recently, he’s been Governor Pat McCrory’s budget director. But he’s been described as the architect of the conservative takeover. Pope is behind a foundation that backs three groups that were behind 75 percent of outside spending in North Carolina political campaigns in 2008, and is the primary funder of one of them. He used to be a North Carolina state legislator, and once ran for lieutenant governor. But at the root of Pope’s political power is his fortune, which comes from a discount store business (think regional Dollar General–esque chains) begun by his father. Though a private citizen at the time, he was in the room as Republicans redrew the new districts that would reinforce their 2010 wins in 2012. (Fun fact: Pope helped found the Libertarian Party of North Carolina but resigned when members spoke too frequently and too seriously about mythical beasts such as Sasquatch.) In the The New Yorker, Jane Mayer’s 2011 profile chronicled Pope’s path from wealthy businessman to political puppet master. Read more » Art Pope on Raleigh CBS affiliate WRAL. The end of clean judicial elections –> In 2002, the North Carolina Legislature set up a program of publicly funded elections — a system by which taxpayer money helps cover the cost of political campaigns to minimize the influence of rich individuals and corporations. (For example, the system would protect a judicial candidate from being forced to accept or refuse a campaign donation from a lawyer or business that might later appear before her in court.) As a state legislator at the time, Art Pope played a leading role in the fight against the system, the Institute for Southern Studies’ publication Facing South reported. Over the next decade, Pope’s outside spending groups continued the battle — and once installed as McCrory’s budget director, Pope was well positioned to end public funding. His first budget slashed funding for the program. Read more » “Sinful and tyrannical”? –> A case study in some Pope-funded rhetoric: The Civitas Institute, for which Pope provides majority funding, wrote an op-ed saying there was “no moral justification” for publicly funded judicial elections, which are “sinful and tyrannical” (a common and deliberate misreading of Thomas Jefferson, which the late, brilliant Aaron Swartz debunked succinctly). Read more » Supermajority in action –> The Nation’s Ari Berman summarized the legislation that drove Moral Monday protestors to raise their voices this summer: “So far this year, legislation passed or pending by Republicans would eliminate the earned-income tax credit for 900,000; decline Medicaid coverage for 500,000; end federal unemployment benefits for 170,000 in a state with the country’s fifth-highest jobless rate; cut pre-K for 30,000 kids while shifting $90 million from public education to voucher schools; slash taxes for the top 5 percent while raising taxes on the bottom 95 percent; allow for guns to be purchased without a background check and carried in parks, playgrounds, restaurants and bars; ax public financing of judicial races; and prohibit death row inmates from challenging racially discriminatory verdicts. ‘They’ve drank all the Tea Party they could drink and sniffed all the Koch they could sniff,’ [North Carolina NAACP president Rev. William] Barber says.” Read more » Members of North Carolina student chapters of the NAACP and opponents of voter ID legislation wear tape over their mouths while sitting silently in the gallery of the House chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly where lawmakers debated and voted on voter identification legislation in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, April 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) Demonstrators wore tape over their mouths as they protested new legislation regulating voting by sitting silently in the gallery of the House chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, April 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) The “worst voter suppression law” –> North Carolina’s new voting restrictions were signed into law less than two months after the Supreme Court gutted the voting rights act. The Nation’s Berman reports that the NAACP and a coalition of voting rights groups filed lawsuits to block the legislation on the same day that Gov. McCrory signed it. “The sweeping law requires strict government-issued photo ID to cast a ballot, cuts the number of early voting days by a week, eliminates same-day voter registration during the early voting period, makes it easier for vigilante poll watchers to challenge the validity of eligible voters and expands the influence of unregulated corporate money in state elections,” wrote Berman. “[S]ince the Supreme Court took away their most potent weapon for fighting voting discrimination, voting rights groups have no choice but to hope that the compelling and disturbing facts of this case persuade the courts to block the ‘monster’ new law.” Read more » Now what? –> North Carolina’s General Assembly adjourned at the end of July, though protests continued. The Rev. Dr. Barber, one of the Moral Mondays protest organizers, says that the new year will see the “largest, most robust march in the South since Selma.” The 2014 legislative session begins in May. Last week, The News & Observer reported that activists from 12 states converged on Raleigh to attend a meeting to learn how to start Moral Mondays protests in their states. Meanwhile, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that demonstrations may be coming to Georgia as soon as this month: Protestors there plan to call on the legislature, which convenes this month, “to expand Medicaid, restore funding to public schools and [raise] the minimum wage.”

agenda. 01/01/2014

This will be a completely unfunded, grassroots and word of mouth campaign. I will seek as many write-in votes as I can get, based on how many ballots I actually get my name on. My platform is simple: -grill our leaders on both sides of the aisle over relations to Progress/Duke Energy about real, tangible plans for green energy for our state. Many people are convinced that we have people at the highest elected levels fighting against hydraulic fracturing, and the $1B restoration of an aging nuclear power plant in Western NC; we do not, to my knowledge. -protect our wild horses. __ -expose the under-reported stories of campaign fraud and it's far reaching implications going back several electoral cycles and spanning decades. __ -address the issues of our failing infrastructure, fix what needs immediate repair and develop a plan going forward to more responsibly develop our coastal plain for the benefit of not only the future generations of residents and guests, but to also enrich the coffers of inland counties that could be utilizing massive natural resources with minimal environmental impact. __ -work woth leaders at state, county and town level to take a serious look at the fiscal responsibility we bear; not only for our health and viability as a community, but for our posterity as well. __ -tackle our legislature's latest moves to fight against the rights of women, minorities and poor people. i am talking about working families, single parents on Work First that should not have to take drug tests, disenfranchised voters that were stabbed in the back with our state's recent dismantling of The Voting Rights Act of 1965 and all of the good folks that have been lied to by nearly every one of our leaders. __ -last, i wish to take down the Southern Environmental Law Center. when it comes to this very powerful lobby, most people say i have no chance, but i have a dream. many have tried this, but it can work, i believe it can. i want to engage lawmakers at the federal level and persuade them to force the SELC to cease all hostilities against the people of Hatteras Island. the actions of this cruel, mis-guided NGO have caused too much suffering for our southern neighbors, and all frivolous lawsuits that they tie up our system with need to be thrown out. they act as if they were an 'eco-terrorist- organization. their means, in my opinion, will not justify a clean, compromised solution. __ -i am writing it all down, so take careful aim. you might be in the book. __ pete 4 senate 2014 happy new year. p.s., legal marijuana would be great too! xo

Here is a recent article from the Associated Press. What is your take?

AP: OK AG traces NC contributions to illegal gambling operation By KIRK ROSS December 27, 2013 | Posted in: Elections, Law, News | Tags: Pat McCrory, Phil Berger, sweepstakes, Thom Tillis | Comments closed A new story out from the Associated Press picks up the thread of contributions to North Carolina politicians by an Oklahoma sweepstakes gambling magnate. The state’s Attorney General says the funds have been traced to an illegal gambling operation. The story of the contributions seemed to be building last summer after reports that the sums delivered to NC politicians put the effort by the sweepstakes gambling industry at the top of the list for contributions to the North Carolina General Assembly during the 2012 election cycle. The contributions included tens of thousands sent to Governor Pat McCrory, House Speaker Thom Tillis and Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger. Last month, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt finalized a separate agreement in which Burns agreed to forfeit $3.5 million from bank accounts seized as part of the investigation. According to Pruitt, the money came directly from the “laundered proceeds” of Burns’ sweepstakes software company, International Internet Technologies. Court filings reviewed by The Associated Press show $1 million of that forfeited money came from a checking account in the name of the Chase Burns Trust — the same account used to send political donations to the campaigns of North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, state House Speaker Thom Tillis and Senate leader Phil Berger, among others. Days before they were replaced by McCrory, members of the State Board of Elections said they wanted to investigate the contributions. According to today’s AP story, the review of the contributions could be wrapped up by the end of the year. BND— AG: Checks to NC pols came from illegal gambling We’ll have comments and updates as they come in. Previously in The Mercury • Report says indicted internet gambling operator top NCGA donor • McCrory received $70,000 from donors linked to sweepstakes gambling • Blank checks at the heart of sweepstakes scandal • Sweepstakes donations may have been bundled • Elections officials call for investigation of $235,000 in sweepstakes donations Here’s the full Democracy NC report from earlier this year. 2013 Democracy NC report on NCGA contributions from Chase Burns by CarolinaMercury