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Business, fish advocates at odds over NC’s strict limits on silver in wastewater :: WRAL.com

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Business, fish advocates at odds over NC’s strict limits on silver in wastewater :: WRAL.com


— State lawmakers met Tuesday on the North Carolina Zoo to debate whether or not water rules must be loosened to assist companies. It is a change that might show harmful to aquatic life.

North Carolina has tightest commonplace within the nation to maintain silver out of floor waters and streams.

Many industries use silver and discharge hint quantities of it of their wastewater. Because the state grows, metropolis wastewater therapy programs say they’ll’t get the silver right down to the extent required within the handled water they launch.

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On Tuesday, AquaLaw co-founder Paul Calamita advised state lawmakers that North Carolina regulation is just too strict and analysis exhibits the bounds are usually not mandatory. He stated most states don’t actually have a silver commonplace.

“We don’t need to need to impose restrictions on the companies to discharge our wastewater plant, forcing them to scale back power silver when there isn’t any toxicity difficulty,” he stated.

State Rep. Dear Harrison, D- Guilford County, couldn’t imagine it.

“It is acquired this toxicity stage that we’re seeing in aquatic species, and we all know it is an issue and we’re simply speaking about eliminating the usual,” Harrison stated.

Calamita stated his group could ask lawmakers this summer season to loosen the rules on silver in floor waters. Environmental regulators say they’re engaged on a compromise, however they don’t need to reduce water high quality.

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Silver is poisonous to aquatic life, however no a lot to folks.

The North Carolina Water High quality Affiliation, which claims to characterize low-income water customers, is pushing to loosen up the requirements saying they’re overly strict. The North Carolina Division of Environmental High quality (DEQ) is looking for a means to not loosen up them.

In keeping with presentation supplies offered by the DEQ, eight in 10 species which are most delicate to silver as evaluated by the Environmental Safety Company (EPA) are present in North Carolina floor waters:

  • Daphnia (most delicate)
  • Fathead minnow (second-most delicate)
  • Bluegill
  • Rainbow trout

DEQ makes use of two requirements to guard aquatic life towards toxins:

  • Acute requirements: Shield organisms from short-term exposures which will end in dying
  • Continual requirements: Shield organisms from long-term exposures which will affect progress, replica and habits

The Environmental Administration Fee (EMC) has oversight of North Carolina’s federal setting packages such because the Clear Water Act, which requires the state to undertake requirements to guard designated makes use of, similar to aquatic life. The EMC adopted its present power silver commonplace in 1989 to deal with discharge of silver from industrial amenities.

In March, the EMC heard a petition from the North Carolina Water High quality Affiliation with a request to take away the usual for silver. The EMC denied the petition.

State lawmakers may take up the problem once more once they convene on Could 18.

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North Carolina

‘On the razor’s edge’: How North Carolina could decide the US presidency

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‘On the razor’s edge’: How North Carolina could decide the US presidency


About 20 years ago, in the early 2000s, Paul Shumaker’s party began experiencing a troubling trend.

Shumaker, a Republican operative with a classic Carolinian drawl, laid it out for Al Jazeera in stark terms: Republican registration started declining, while the number of “unaffiliated” voters gradually rose.

“Now there are no liberal Republicans left, and there are fewer moderate Republicans, too,” Shumaker said.

He shared data showing how both major parties, Republicans and Democrats, have, in total, invested more than $147m in the state over the last 10 years — but even that couldn’t stop an “explosion” of unaffiliated voters, who are now the clear majority.

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Of the 8.5 million voters in North Carolina this year, approximately 38 percent are registered as “unaffiliated”. That dwarfs the 32 percent who identify as Democrat and the 30 percent who say they’re Republican.

This explosion of “unaffiliated” voters dovetails with larger demographic trends showing Americans bucking traditional party labels, adding to the unpredictability of elections.

However, that doesn’t mean “unaffiliated” voters will opt for a third-party candidate. Surveys have shown that the majority of independent voters do, in fact, “lean” consistently towards either the Republican side or the Democrats.

Which is to say, they’re very much up for grabs — and in demand — by the two major parties.

“Neither party can win without building a coalition for unaffiliated voters,” Shumaker said.

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Republicans, he explained, need to appeal to unaffiliated voters in the suburbs and cities — two areas Democrats are expected to win.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris waves to the crowd at a campaign rally in Greenville, North Carolina, on October 13 [Jonathan Drake/Reuters]

Democrats, meanwhile, are hoping to use “unaffiliated” voters to compensate for losses in their base. More than 2.4 million people in North Carolina registered as Democrat as of October 26 — down from more than 2.6 million at around the same point in the 2020 election cycle.

Party strategists like Jackson hope to make up the loss by appealing to voters in left-wing strongholds — typically urban centres — while holding ground in rural areas.

After all, North Carolina has the largest rural population in the US after Texas.

“People often say you have to lose by less in the rural areas, but that’s not true: You just have to stop the bleeding,” Jackson said. “If Kamala Harris holds [outgoing President] Joe Biden’s margins, she could have a shot.”

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Mac McCorkle, a Democratic political consultant with a cheery, amiable aura, refers to unaffiliated voters as “precious” to his party. He believes only a small number of voters will decide whether North Carolina backs Harris or Trump.

“It’s not like 20 percent of the electorate can go either way,” he said. “We’re talking about a race that’ll be decided by one, two, three percent.”



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North Carolina has a long ballot – spend some time schooling yourself • NC Newsline

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North Carolina has a long ballot – spend some time schooling yourself • NC Newsline


If you’re one of the millions of North Carolinians who’ve yet to vote in this year’s election, there’s still ample time as early voting runs through this Saturday. Even if you still need to register, you can do so and vote
at the same time at any early voting site in your home county.

Those who wait till Election Day, must vote at their local precinct and already be registered.

Whenever you go, remember to bring a photo ID. The state Board of Elections website has information on how to get one for free if you don’t have one.

And here’s another thing to remember: the ballot this year is long. My Wake County ballot had 28 contests at the federal, state, and local levels.

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And while you don’t have to vote in every race, you’re doing yourself and our community a disservice if you don’t. There’s a fine nonpartisan guide at ncvoterguide.org that can get you up to speed.

The bottom line: Voting is a civic duty for all good citizens. Take a few minutes ncvoterguide.org to prepare and to do your part.

For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.



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Helene damage in western North Carolina leading to increased wildfire risk

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Helene damage in western North Carolina leading to increased wildfire risk


Powerful winds from Helene knocked down large swaths of trees in western North Carolina, creating an environment susceptible to wildfires.

Helene wreaked havoc on the Tar Heel State in late September, producing historic floods and winds exceeding 100 mph.

Tens of thousands of trees fell and set the stage for a potentially dangerous situation for residents still dealing with destruction caused last month.

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North Carolina State University Professor of Forest Ecology Robert Scheller said this tree mortality resulted in tree debris, such as leaves and branches, that can dry up and become fuel for a wildfire.

“Any fire is limited by the amount of fuels to feed it,” Scheller said to FOX Weather. “Specifically, a wildfire needs that small material to really spread.”

NORTH CAROLINA CHRISTMAS TREE INDUSTRY RECOVERS FROM HELENE AS HOPE FOR HOLIDAY SUPPLY REMAINS STRONG

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He noted that different types of trees have variable flammability. Pine trees are perhaps the most flammable type of tree, as pine needles have high levels of flammable resins.

Oak trees, he said, are likely the second-most flammable, adding that oak trees are the trees that dominate western North Carolina.

With so much fuel for kindling from the downed trees, western North Carolina is poised to have an increased wildfire risk.

To mitigate this risk, officials may attempt to put in fuel breaks, or areas that serve as barriers in the landscape to prevent a fire from easily spreading.

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However, taking that approach in western North Carolina would be challenging, given the rugged terrain of the area and the devastated infrastructure.

One alternative solution involves implementing burn bans, according to Scheller.

“We have to be careful,” he said. “Things are really dry right now, only getting drier. Where we need to be really careful is, on windy days, is to have a complete burn ban throughout that area.”

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER

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Scheller noted that the next few months may help lessen the risk of wildfires, as fuel from blown-down trees becomes wet with snow and then begins to decay.

However, taking action sooner rather than later, especially during these dry conditions, is critical.



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