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 In The News, May 1, 2012 
5/1/2012   

ANNEXATION

Lawmakers say city 'jumping the gun' on annexation. Republican state lawmakers say the city of Wilmington is wasting taxpayer dollars by providing services to the Monkey Junction area, where residents have been on a roller-coaster ride through the battle over annexation.

ENVIRONMENT

N.C. Attorney General's Office releases draft report on fracking, consumer protection. Strong landowner protections are needed before the state moves forward on legalizing fracking.

State attorney: N.C. needs consumer protections on 'fracking.' A lawyer in the Attorney General's Office said Thursday that North Carolina needs to adopt consumer protections before legalizing a controversial method of natural gas drilling.

TRANSPORTATION

Red Line officials seek June meeting with Norfolk Southern. Officials from the N.C. Department of Transportation, Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) and the Red Line Task Force are seeking a meeting, possibly in mid-June, with Norfolk Southern Corp. to discuss the rail company’s misgivings about the proposed Red Line Regional Rail Project north of Charlotte.

Lawmakers want change in how gas tax money is used. House Speaker Thom Tillis said he plans to eliminate the N.C. DOT transferring money into the general fund and wants new rules that limit how much the DOT spends on projects with little impact on transportation.

Editorial - Funding ferries only a tiny piece of transportation challenge. The recommendation to hold off on fare increases, proposed by Rep. Frank Iler of Brunswick County, gives lawmakers and Gov. Beverly Perdue’s administration an ideal opening to focus on the future of North Carolina’s entire transportation infrastructure.

GENERAL

N.C. legislators experiment with paperless chambers. The House and Senate will embark on a pilot program with the May budget session in which lawmakers will follow bills and amendments during floor debate on laptops or other devices, not paper. The House is going further by having members file their own bills electronically; its wooden racks have been dismantled.