NC Senate packs bill with environmental regulation changes

By GARY D. ROBERTSON

Associated Press

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — Senate Republicans are again trying to push through the North Carolina legislature dozens of legislative changes they say will reduce needless regulation and aid business.

Environmental groups say many provisions give industry and developers more license to pollute.

A divided Senate environmental committee recommended Monday a 50-plus page bill that initially arrived from the House at less than a page.

The bill contains many changes approved by either the House or the Senate since 2014. One section would encourage industries to self-report environmental violations to the state or to seek a voluntary compliance audit so they could avoid fines and public disclosure of problems.

The measure also includes new items, such as lower standards when legal expenses are awarded to the state when it wins environmental challenges by outside groups.

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