From the Desk of Representative Larry D. Hall
September 25, 2007

We salute our pages!

As you may know we will be honoring community leaders and the pages who served during the last session at a community breakfast on Saturday September 29 at 8:30 am at the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Building located at 411 West Chapel Hill St. , in Durham, NC. We continue to focus on the need to bring our younger citizens in to active roles in community and public service. We have consistently included bios and pictures of the pages to ensure you know some of the good things the youth in District 29 are doing both at home and in Raleigh.
I am proud to announce that I was appointed to the North Carolina Economic Development Board by Speaker Hackney and attended my first meeting Sept. 18 & 19th in Concord, NC. The board members made site visits to the McGuire Nuclear plant at Lake Norman and the University Research Campus being constructed in Kannapolis, NC at the site of the former Cannon Mills. Our meeting was primarily focused on the future of electric power use and generation and how it will complement and support growth and the environment in this state.

As our state and nation grow, the amount of energy we consume grows with it. The fuels we traditionally use to power our homes and offices are finite, however. To support the tremendous growth we expect in North Carolina over the next 20 years, we have to work now to make better use of renewable energy, find alternative fuels and to find more and better ways to conserve energy. My colleagues and I in the General Assembly started this process this session. In the years ahead, these types of initiatives will become increasingly important to maintaining our strong economy and our quality of life.

 

Renewable Energy

North Carolina took a major step forward this year in environmental policy by establishing a requirement that North Carolina power utilities get at least 12.5 percent of their power from renewable sources -- such as wind, water and solar energy -- and energy efficiency by 2021. The bill (S3) is expected to help cut pollution and our dependence on foreign oil while also creating more of a market for renewable energy. North Carolina is the first state in the Southeast to adopt such a standard.

Our budget ensures the future of the State Energy Office by appropriating nearly $2.7 million from the general fund for operating costs. Nearly $2 million of the money will be used for a utility savings initiative and to support the operation of energy centers at North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University and Appalachian State University. An additional $5 million is for a reserve fund to support energy efficiency in state buildings.

Conservation

The state continues to try to be a model for responsible energy use and a bill we approved this year backs up our commitment. The bill (S668) requires existing state buildings to reduce energy consumption 20 percent by 2010 and 30 percent by 2015, based on 2003-04 levels. New buildings are designed and constructed to use 30 percent less energy. It also requires state agencies and institutions to file annual energy management plans, strategies, and reports on consumption.

Bioenergy

We showed our support for alternative energy sources this year by expanding a bioenergy initiative at North Carolina State University. The $1.5 million in additional money will help researchers find new technologies for efficient and clean use of traditional energy sources; alternative, environmentally safe, and renewable energy sources; and research of energy technologies and their impact on the North Carolina's rural economy.

Fuel

Biodiesel fuel produced by an individual for their personal use in a private vehicle is no longer subject to the motor fuel excise tax under a bill (S1272) we approved. Such fuel is sometimes made from discarded cooking oil or similar products and supporters of the measure argued the materials shouldn't be taxed twice.

School buses can now also use diesel fuel that contains at least 20 percent of biodiesel under (S1452) beginning June 1, 2008.

Miscellaneous

Developers in five cities who take significant energy conservation measures in their building projects will now be eligible for incentives such as higher density allowances. The cities are Asheville, Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Charlotte and Wilmington.

To Veto or Legislate

I returned to Raleigh September 11th along with many of my colleagues for a special session to reconsider an economic incentives bill that Governor Easley vetoed in August. We reached a compromise that encourages large businesses that pay well to stay in North Carolina.

The compromise bill (House Bill 4 for the extra session) requires the companies:

1. to be in one of the state's poorest counties;
2. to invest $200 million at the plant or business site within a six-year period;
3. to employ at least 2,000 full-time employees;
4. to pay for all full-time employees' health insurance;
5. to provide wages 40 percent higher than the county average

The incentives would help us keep and expand jobs in some of the poorest regions of the state, and develop and stimulate the area economies.

In our fast growing state, we must make decisions that protect jobs and job opportunities, improve the economic security of the families of our citizens and promote continued prosperity for our children.

Legislative Page Report

We continue our effort to get our future leaders and citizens involved in the legislative process. We want to take the time to recognize both past and future Pages for their service and the support of their families. We congratulate and salute the following Durham youth who volunteered as Pages.

Trevon Spence

Trevon Spence, a student at Jordan High School served as a Page for the House of Representatives. He is the son of Gerald and Donna Spence of Durham.

Tristine Johnson

Tristine Johnson, a student at Jordan High School served as a Page for the House of Representatives. She is the daughter of Allen Johnson and Marcia .

ANNOUNCEMENT

2007 November - Veterans Day Job Fair

In an effort to honor our military veterans for Veterans Day the Durham ESC/JobLink Veterans Unit and Durham County Veterans Services Office are hosting our 2007 Veterans Day Job Fair and would like to invite you to participate. There is No Cost to participate. If you have any questions please contact Lou Washington at (919) 560-8387.

Date: November 7, 2007

Time: 12 Noon until 3:00 PM (set-up is from 11:00-11:30 AM)

Location: Durham Marriott at the Civic Center, 201 Foster Street, Durham, NC 27701

Larry D. Hall

Please remember that you can listen to each day's committee meetings and press conferences on the General Assembly's Web site at http://www.ncleg.net. Once on the site, select "audio," and then make your selection - Appropriations Committee Room or Press Conference Room. You can also use the website to look up bills, view lawmaker biographies and access other information.