Gov. Cooper’s Revealing Vetoes of Environmental Legislation
A section of the Mountain Valley Pipeline being constructed in the Appalachian Mountains of Franklin County, North Carolina. Gov. Cooper’s recent veto of a House-proposed bill aims to halt the regulatory rollback of projects such as the Pipeline. Source: Appalachian Voices.
On Monday, Oct. 2nd, 2023, Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed two bills that he claims would have both environmental and financial ramifications for the state of North Carolina.
The first, the Regulatory Reform Act of 2023, proposed by the House in the General Assembly, would effectively loosen regulations that inhibit citizens and private entities from obtaining permits for initiatives and programs that pose further degradation of the climate. This would allow for environmentally harmful projects, such as the Mountain Valley Natural Gas Pipeline, to enjoy an expedited permit-obtainment process. Gov. Cooper also claims that this bill disincentivizes already-underway efforts to diversify North Carolina’s energy expenditures—which he is hoping will safeguard the State’s grid in anticipation of fossil fuel depletion—as it reinforces the use of established energy corporations like Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC.
The second, a bill regarding changes to clean energy standards, proposed by the Senate, would redefine the term ‘Clean Energy,’ in the State’s legislative literature in order to include nuclear and fusion energy plants. This was knocked down by the governor on the basis that this facilitates the expansion and continued reliance on alternatives to traditional fossil fuels, as opposed to ‘lower cost solutions like energy efficiency.’
In blocking these bills, Gov. Cooper aims to assert the environmentally conscious stance that his platform has adopted, as well as reinforce his positive position on a diversified energy grid for the State. His climate-forward platform is primarily aimed at reducing North Carolina’s carbon footprint through the implementation of energy-efficient practices and blocking the expansion of projects that bolster the fossil fuel industry. The opposition, however, sees this as a direct blow to the State’s constituency and energy sector. Republican Sen. Paul Newton says that “Gov. Cooper’s hardline opposition to nuclear power is a slap in the face to North Carolina’s energy industry.” As can be expected, other members of the GOP agree; the party’s position reinforces the idea that the State should continue its reliance on traditional—and less effective with regard to both cost and time—forms of renewable energy in order to maintain current yields, which solidifies their focus on quantitative output rather than efficiency. The Senator also states that “the veto will be overridden,” which serves as an indiscreet challenge to the Democratic party’s attempts to implement and uphold sustainable policy. The tension this has created between State GOP members and Gov. Cooper is a bleak reminder of the increasingly polarized political climate of the United States, which was recently and very explicitly exemplified by the State Senate’s May 16th override of Gov. Cooper’s veto of the now-enacted 12-week abortion ban.
More importantly, should Gov. Cooper's veto be overridden, North Carolina’s citizens will pay the price. First, the regulatory rollback with regard to pro-fossil fuel projects poses a tangible threat to citizens who live on or near project sites—most of which are placed in low-income and Native American communities. Air pollutants such as benzene and formaldehyde—which are known for their carcinogenicity—are already being released into affected areas, and those impacts will only be exacerbated in the event of project expansion. Not only will the projects’ byproducts be released into any new communities that the organizations move into, but contamination will worsen in already-inhabited regions as work continues. Second, when pre-existing corporations are given the green light to expand production, maintain oligopolistic control of the energy market, and inevitably disenfranchise smaller companies that have been formed in an effort to diversify the grid, NC residents can expect to continue paying high—and possibly increased—prices for utilities.
The Governor’s veto of these bills, and the GOP’s subsequent backlash, act as an indicator of the ever-worsening political discourse with regard to the importance of sustainable governance. This conflict naturally begs the question of whether or not the government will choose to prioritize corporate profits over long-term energy efficiency, and whether or not the State Congress and Gov. Cooper can cooperate in order to pursue the best interest of North Carolina’s residents.