Save the DENR!

As you may, or may not, be aware, there are HUGE developments going on in the North Carolina General Assembly of late. The most recent travesty is the exorbitant budget cuts to the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources)that have been proposed within the past week. These budget cuts will result in hundreds of jobs being compromised or lost and would cripple the DENR's capacity to uphold environmental regulations by means of inspection and enforcement.

The divisions that would be experiencing such drastic cuts include Division of Water Quality, Division of Land Resources, Division of Air Quality, Division of Environmental Health, Division of Waste Management, and the Division of Soil and Water Conservation. Moreover, these cuts would eliminate 95 of 95 positions in Mooresville, would reduce positions in Raleigh by 42, leaving 45, would reduce positions in Fayetteville by 37, leaving 39, and would reduce positions in Asheville from 97 to 66. For a General Assembly that aims to create jobs for North Carolinians, these cuts are doing just the opposite. In addition, our personal health and wellness coupled with environmental and economic health are at risk as a result of these propositions.

Three former secretaries of the DENR have publicly stated their opposition to this budget proposal, will you do the same? Write a letter to the editor, contact your representative, or even better, head out to the Regulatory Reform Hearing TOMORROW in Western North Carolina and let your voice be heard!

The meeting will take place on Friday April 15th from 1pm to 3pm at Blue Ridge Community College in the Thomas Auditorium, 180 West Campus Drive, Flat Rock, NC. If you are interested in providing a 2 minute statement at the hearing, please arrive at 12:30pm or email Erica Geppi at erica.geppi@sierraclub.org for more information.