S257 - 2026 Appropriations Act. (SL 2026-41)

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Session Year 2024

Overview: Section 12.9 of S.L. 2026‑41 (Senate Bill 257) provides that funds granted to the North Carolina Coastal Federation, Inc. (Coastal Federation), as part of the Stormwater Retrofit Pilot Cost‑Share Program (Program), can be used for time‑limited positions within the Division of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources (DEMLR) within the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to provide compliance assistance for existing stormwater permit holders.

The section also provides the Director of DEMLR (Director) with the authority to approve, on a case‑by‑case basis, applications to modify an existing permit so long as those modifications will improve current performance. The Director may allow new technology or stormwater control measures that do not meet the criteria of rules or have not yet been approved by rule. A grantee that seeks to modify its permit must demonstrate specific information and criteria to the Director regarding eligibility, compliance, and performance.

The Program was established in the 2023 budget and allocated $5 million to DEQ for directed grants to the Coastal Federation to provide grants to stormwater permittees with significant economic hardship.

This section of the act became effective July 1, 2026.

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