Cooper Rejects North Carolina Budget Proposal

RALEIGH, N.C. – Governor Roy Cooper today announced that he will veto the budget proposal approved by the majority in the North Carolina General Assembly. Under the majority-backed budget, minimal new requirements for industrial hog farms meant to protect water quality and provide the public with information about whether hog waste lagoons are leaking would be delayed an entire year. Instead of taking effect this fall as intended, the safeguards would be delayed until October 1, 2020.

A statement follows from Valerie Baron, Staff Attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC):

“A state budget is a statement of values, and the majority has made it clear where they stand. The current budget proposal is a giveaway to special interests – instead of uplifting our communities, the plan puts people’s health, the environment and economy at risk. North Carolinians deserve better than this charade.”

For more background, read: What's Poo Got to Do With It? and New Swine Waste Permit Fails to Protect Communities & Water

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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.