GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1995

H	1 

HOUSE BILL 1049

Short Title:  Environmental Protection Improvements. 	(Public)

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Sponsors: Representatives H. Hunter, Cummings, Fitch; and Adams.

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Referred to:  Health and Environment, if favorable, Appropriations.

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May 8, 1995

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO AMEND THE NORTH CAROLINA ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT, TO IMPROVE PUBLIC NOTICE REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING SITING DECISIONS AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL DECISIONS, TO EXPAND THE APPEAL RIGHTS OF PERSONS LIVING IN AREAS AFFECTED BY ENVIRONMENTAL DECISIONS, AND TO DIRECT ACTIONS OF STATE AGENCIES TO IMPROVE PUBLIC ACCESS TO INFORMATION, AND TO ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ISSUES AFFECTING MINORITY COMMUNITIES AND LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  Section 113A-4(2) reads as rewritten:
"(2)	Every State agency shall include in every recommendation or report on any action involving expenditure of public moneys or use of public land for projects and programs significantly affecting the quality of the environment of this State, a detailed statement by the responsible official setting forth the following:
a.	The environmental impact of the proposed action;
b.	Any significant adverse environmental effects which cannot be avoided should the proposal be implemented;
c.	Mitigation measures proposed to minimize the impact;
d.	Alternatives to the proposed action;
e.	The relationship between the short-term uses of the environment involved in the proposed action and the maintenance and enhancement of long-term productivity; 
f.	Any irreversible and irretrievable environmental changes which would be involved in the proposed action should it be implemented;
g.	An analysis of the demographic data of the community affected by the proposed project;
h.	A statement containing necessary emergency management planning for the affected community;
i.	An analysis of the availability of health care and the quality of health care available to the residents of the affected community;
j.	An analysis of measures necessary to ensure that the fewest number of people in the community are affected by the planned activity;
k.	A statement that no other suitable alternative to such activity is available within the region or service area because of the restraints of geology, if there are significant adverse environmental effects;
l.	A statement detailing increased or decreased employment opportunities created by the proposed project; and
m.	An analysis of changes in property values in the affected community.
Environmental impact statements shall be prepared by contractors who are on a list of approved contractors provided by the Department.  Environmental impact statements shall be sent to the Secretary.
For purposes of this section, the term 'affected community' means a community affected by Department programs, policies, and activities, including permitting activities, that affect human health or the environment.  'Affected community' includes low-income communities and minority communities.  A 'community' within the meaning of this section, is defined by the persons who live within a community and does not necessarily imply generic geographic or census boundaries."
Sec. 2.  Chapter 113A of the General Statutes is amended by adding the following new sections to read:
"§ 113A-4.1.  Action by Secretary.
(a)	The Secretary shall either approve or disapprove the plan within 30 days of receipt of the environmental impact statement.  The specific reasons that the plan was approved or disapproved shall be stated in writing.
(b)	If, following commencement of an activity affecting the quality of this State's environment pursuant to an approved plan, the Secretary determines the plan is inadequate to meet the requirements of this Article, the Secretary may require revisions to the plan as necessary to comply with the public policy stated in Chapter 113 of the General Statutes and this Chapter to protect the environment.
"§ 113A-4.2.  Reasons to deny permit.
No State agency shall issue a permit pursuant to Article 7 of Chapter 74 of the General Statutes, Chapter 104E or 104G of the General Statutes, Article 25 of Chapter 113 of the General Statutes, Article 1, 4, or 7 of this Chapter, Article 9, 10, 11, or 19 of Chapter 130A of the General Statutes, Chapter 130B of the General Statutes, or Article 21, 21A, 21B, or 52 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes to conduct any action or activity affecting the quality of the environment of this State if the environmental impact statement shows:
(1)	An adverse effect on the public health of the affected community; or
(2)	A disparate impact on minority or low-income communities;
and there is a more suitable site for such activity.
"§ 113A-4.3.  Stop-work orders.
(a)	The Secretary may issue a stop-work order if he finds that land-disturbing activity is being conducted in violation of this Article, that the violation is knowing and willfull, and that:
(1)	The work activity is being conducted without an approved environmental impact statement;
(2)	The work activity that is being conducted will have a disparate impact on the minority or the low-income community affected by the work activity; or
(3)	The public health is being adversely affected by the work activity.
(b)	The stop-work order shall be in writing and shall describe the work to be stopped and what measures are required to correct the violation.  The order shall include a statement of the findings made by the Secretary pursuant to subsection (a) of this section and shall list the conditions under which work that is subject to the order may be resumed.  The delivery of equipment and materials that does not contribute to the violation may continue while the stop-work order is in effect.  A copy of this section shall be attached to the order.
(c)	The stop-work order shall be served by the sheriff of the county in which the land-disturbing activity is being conducted or by some other person duly authorized by law to serve process as provided by G.S. 1A-1, Rule 4, and shall be served on the person at the site of the land-disturbing activity.  The sheriff or other person duly authorized by law to serve process shall post a copy of the stop-work order in a conspicuous place at the site of the land-disturbing activity.  The Secretary shall also deliver a copy of the stop-work order to any person that the Secretary has reason to believe may be responsible for the violation.
(d)	The directives of a stop-work order shall become effective upon service of the order.  Thereafter, any person notified of the stop-work order who violates any of the directives set out in the order may be assessed an administrative penalty not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000) per violation.
(e)	The Secretary shall designate an employee of the Department to monitor compliance with the stop-work order.  The name of the employee so designated shall be included in the stop-work order.  The employee so designated or the Secretary shall rescind the stop-work order if all the violations for which the stop-work order was issued are corrected, and no other violations have occurred.  The Secretary shall rescind a stop-work order that is issued in error.
(f)	The issuance of a stop-work order shall be a final agency decision subject to judicial review pursuant to Article 4 of Chapter 150B of the General Statutes.  The petition for judicial review shall be filed in the superior court of the county in which the activity is being conducted.
(g)	The Attorney General shall file a cause of action to correct the violations that resulted in the issuance of a stop-work order within two days of the service of the stop-work order.  The cause of action shall include a motion for ex parte temporary restraining order to effect necessary remedial measures.  A hearing shall be conducted within two days of the filing of the complaint.  The clerk of superior court shall accept complaints filed pursuant to this section without the payment of filing fees.  Filing fees shall be paid to the clerk of superior court no later than 30 days after the filing of the complaint."
Sec. 3.  Chapter 113A of the General Statutes is amended to add a new Article to read:
"ARTICLE 16.
"Environmental Justice Act.
"§ 113A-230.  Findings and purpose.
All communities and all individuals across this State are entitled to a safe and healthy environment.  The General Assembly finds that minority communities and low-income communities bear a disproportionate burden of the State's environmental hazards.  Minority communities and low-income communities are more likely to live near freeways, sewer treatment plants, municipal and hazardous waste landfills and incinerators, intensive livestock operations, and other facilities that have an impact on human health or the environment.  Minority communities and low-income communities are more likely to be exposed to lead paint, toxins in the workplace, insufficient local water and sewer systems, contaminated shadow wells, rodents and insects that live near garbage facilities, and the dangers associated with discarded refrigerators.
The purpose of this Article is to address the environmental justice concerns of minority communities and low-income communities by evaluating the environmental impact of State agencies' policies and decisions on minority communities and low-income communities and by requiring all State agencies to execute their policies in a manner that does not impose a disproportionate burden upon these minority communities.
"§ 113A-231.  Definitions.
(1)	'Activities' include adopting rules, permitting, enforcement, and siting.
(2)	'Affected community' means any community that is affected by a State agency program, policy, or activity that has an impact upon human health or the environment.
(3)	'State agency' means any department, agency, political subdivision, or commission of the State.
"§ 113A-232.  Scope.
This Article applies to any State agency program, policy, or activity that has an impact on human health or the environment.
"§ 113A-233.  Agency responsibilities.
(a)	Each State agency shall identify and address disproportionately high or adverse human health or environmental effects, or potential effects, of its programs, policies, and activities on minority communities and low-income communities in North Carolina.
(b)	Each State agency shall conduct its programs, policies, and activities that have an impact upon human health or the environment in a manner that:
(1)	Assesses the need of the facility or activity that is the subject of a permit application.
(2)	Assesses the impact of the program, policy, or activity upon any affected community.
(3)	Considers the demographic data of the affected community.
(4)	Disapproves any siting that will impose a disproportionate environmental or public health burden upon a minority community or a low-income community.
(5)	Ensures that the program, policy, or activity does not have the effect of:
a.	Excluding individuals from participating in;
b.	Denying persons the benefits of; or
c.	Subjecting persons to discrimination under
	that program, policy, or activity because of their race, color, or national origin.
(c)	All State agencies that process applications for permits for siting facilities near freeways, sewer treatment plants, municipal or hazardous waste facilities, intensive livestock operations, or other facilities that potentially have an impact on human health or the environment shall conduct public hearings in the affected communities and, prior to the hearings, publish notice of these public hearings.  At these hearings, testimony from residents who live in the affected communities and scientific and demographic evidence may be heard.
"§ 113A-234.  The State Working Group on Environmental Justice.
(a)	The State Working Group on Environmental Justice is created.  No later than January 1, 1996, the Chairs of the Environmental Management Commission shall call the first meeting of the State Working Group on Environmental Justice.  The Working Group shall consist of the highest official of the following State agencies, or their designees:  Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources; Department of Human Resources; Department of Labor; Department of Agriculture; Department of State Transportation; Department of Justice; Department of Commerce; Office of State Budget and Management; Department of Administration; North Carolina Utilities Commission; Department of Insurance; Office of the Governor.  In addition to these members, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall appoint three members; the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint three members; the Lieutenant Governor shall appoint three members; and the Governor may appoint three members.  The persons appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Lieutenant Governor shall be individuals who live in communities affected by the State's environmental policies or individuals who work with communities affected by the State's environmental policies.  The General Assembly shall provide office and meeting space, as well as administrative support, to the Working Group.
(b)	No later than January 1 of each year, the Working Group shall report to the Governor, the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations, and the Environmental Review Commission.  This report shall summarize its activities during the last calendar year, its progress and the progress of State agencies in implementing this Article, whether the timetables set forth in this Article are being met and shall include the Working Group's recommendations and any legislative proposals needed to accomplish the purpose of this Article.
(c)	The Working Group shall have the following duties:
(1)	Provide criteria to State agencies so the agencies can identify disproportionately high or adverse human health or environmental effects on minority communities or low-income communities.
(2)	Coordinate with, provide guidance to, and serve as a clearinghouse of information for each State agency as it develops an environmental justice strategy pursuant to G.S. 113A-237, in order to ensure that the administration, interpretation, and enforcement of programs, policies, and activities are undertaken in a manner consistent with the purpose of this Article.
(3)	Assist in coordinating research by, and stimulating cooperation among, the Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, the Department of Human Resources, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Agriculture, and any other agencies conducting research or other activities pursuant to G.S. 113A-238.
(4)	Ensure that State agencies seek data pertinent to the subject of environmental justice and seek assistance from federal agencies.
(5)	Assist in coordinating the data collection required by this Article.
(6)	Examine existing data and studies on environmental justice.
(7)	Solicit assistance from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in the data collection required by this Article.
(8)	Solicit and consider recommendations from the State Citizens Advisory Council on Environmental Justice.
(9)	Develop interagency model projects and encourage State agencies to cooperate among themselves to accomplish the purpose of this Article.
(10)	Monitor the activities of State agencies to ensure that State agencies comply with this Article.
(d)	The Working Group shall consider the following issues:
(1)	Trends in siting freeways, sewer treatment plants, municipal and hazardous waste facilities, intensive livestock operations, and any other facilities that potentially have an impact on human health or the environment.
(2)	Exposure to lead paint, exposure to hazards and toxins in the workplace, insufficient local water and sewer systems, contamination of shadow wells, rodents and insects that live near garbage facilities, and dangers associated with discarded refrigerators.
"§ 113A-235.  Citizens Advisory Council on Environmental Justice.
(a)	The Citizens Advisory Council on Environmental Justice is created.  No later than January 1, 1996, the Lieutenant Governor shall convene and chair the State Citizens Advisory Council on Environmental Justice.  This Advisory Council shall consist of individuals who live and work in affected communities, individuals who work with citizens who live and work in affected communities, and other individuals as the Governor may appoint.  The Governor shall seek nominations and recommendations for membership and appoint 12 members from the following environmental and grassroots organizations:  the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, the North Carolina Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Clean Water Fund of North Carolina, Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, EcoForce, the North Carolina Legal Services Resource Center, the Land Loss Prevention Project, the Conservation Council of North Carolina, Halifax Environmental Loss Prevention (HELP), the Institute for Southern Studies, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Southern Environmental Law Center.  The Governor shall appoint four additional members.  Every effort will be made to ensure regional, ethnic, economic, and gender diversity on the Advisory Council.  The General Assembly shall provide office and meeting space, as well as administrative support, to the Advisory Council.
(b)	No later than January 15 of each year, the Advisory Council shall report to the Governor, the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations, and the Environmental Review Commission.  This report shall state the Advisory Council's activities during the last calendar year and its progress in implementing its duties under this Article.
(c)	The Advisory Council shall have the following duties:
(1)	Provide advice to the State Working Group on Environmental Justice in performing its duties under this Article.
(2)	Monitor the work of the State Working Group on Environmental Justice to ensure citizen interests and input are included in the development of environmental justice strategies under this Article.
(3)	Develop community education programs, serve as a clearinghouse of information on public health and environmental issues, including environmental justice issues for persons living in local communities.
(4)	Assist citizens living in local communities to develop the legal and scientific expertise necessary to understand the impact of environmental policy decisions and to enable them to effectively participate in public debates on environmental policies.
"§ 113A-236.  Reimbursement of members.
The members of the Working Group on Environmental Justice and Advisory Council who are members of the General Assembly shall receive subsistence and travel allowances at the rate set forth in G.S. 120-3.1.  Members who are officials or employees of the State of North Carolina shall receive subsistence and travel allowances at the rate set forth in G.S. 138-6.  All other members shall be paid the per diem allowances at the rates set forth in G.S. 138-5.
"§ 113A-237.  State agencies required to develop agency environmental justice strategies.
(a)	Each State agency shall develop an environmental justice strategy in accordance with the timetable set forth in this section.  An environmental justice strategy shall identify disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of that agency's programs, policies, and activities on minority communities and low-income communities.  The environmental justice strategy shall list those programs, policies, and activities related to human health or the environment that should be revised to the end that, at a minimum, they:
(1)	Promote enforcement of all health and environmental statutes in areas with minority populations and low-income populations.
(2)	Ensure greater public participation.
(3)	Improve research and data collection related to the health of, and the environment of, minority communities and low-income communities.
(4)	Identify differential patterns of consumption of natural resources among minority communities and low-income communities.  Each environmental justice strategy shall include a timetable for undertaking needed revisions and shall consider the economic and social implications of the revisions.
(b)	No later than February 1, 1996, each State agency shall identify an internal administrative process for developing its environmental justice strategy and shall inform the State Working Group on Environmental Justice of that process.
(c)	No later than April 1, 1996, each State agency shall provide the State Working Group on Environmental Justice with an outline of its proposed environmental justice strategy.
(d)	No later than August 1, 1996, each State agency shall provide the State Working Group on Environmental Justice with its proposed agency environmental justice strategy.
(e)	No later than January 1, 1997, each State agency shall finalize its environmental justice strategy and provide a copy of its environmental justice strategy to the State Working Group on Environmental Justice.
(f)	No later than January 1, 1997, each State agency, as part of its environmental justice strategy, shall identify several specific projects that can be promptly undertaken to address particular concerns identified during the development of its proposed environmental justice strategy and develop a timetable for implementing those projects.
(g)	No later than January 1, 1998, each State agency shall report to the State Working Group on Environmental Justice on its progress in implementing its environmental justice strategy.
(h)	State agencies shall provide additional periodic reports to the State Working Group on Environmental Justice as requested by the Working Group.
"§ 113A-238.  Research, data collection, data analysis.
(a)	State agencies shall seek relevant federal data and research grants on environmental human health research, and, to the extent State funds are available, conduct environmental human health research.  Any such research conducted by the State shall address diverse segments of the population in epidemiological and clinical studies.  These segments of the population shall include any segments at high risk from environmental hazards, specifically minority populations, low-income populations, and workers who may be exposed to substantial environmental hazards.  Environmental human health analyses used by the State must identify multiple and cumulative exposures.  State agencies shall provide minority communities and low-income communities with the opportunity to comment on the development and design of research strategies undertaken pursuant to this section.  State agencies shall disseminate to minority communities and low-income communities data and information collected as a result of research undertaken or obtained pursuant to this section.
(b)	Each State agency shall collect, maintain, and analyze data, assessing and comparing environmental and human health risks borne by populations identified by race, national origin, and income.  State agencies shall use this information to determine whether their programs, policies, and activities have disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects on minority communities and low-income communities.  In connection with the development and implementation of an environmental justice strategy pursuant to G.S. 113A-237, each State agency shall collect, maintain, and analyze data on the race, national origin, income level, and other demographic information for areas surrounding facilities or sites an environmental, human health, or economic effect on the surrounding populations, when such facilities or sites become the subject of State environmental administrative or judicial action.  Such information shall be made available to the public, unless prohibited by law.
(c)	Each State agency shall collect, maintain, and analyze data on the race, national origin, income level, and other demographic information for areas surrounding State facilities that are expected to have an environmental, human health, or economic effect on surrounding communities.  Such information shall be made available to the public, unless prohibited by law.
(d)	When implementing this section, each State agency shall share information and eliminate unnecessary duplication of efforts through the use of existing data collection systems and cooperative agreements among State agencies and with State, local, and tribal governments.
"§ 113A-239.  Subsistence consumption of fish and wildlife.
(a)	In order to assist in identifying the need for ensuring protection of populations with differential patterns of subsistence consumption of fish and wildlife, State agencies shall collect, maintain, and analyze data on the consumption patterns of populations that principally rely on fish or wildlife for subsistence.  State agencies shall communicate to the public the risks of those consumption patterns.
(b)	State agencies shall work in a coordinated manner to publish guidelines reflecting the latest scientific information available concerning methods for evaluating the human health risks associated with the consumption of pollutant-bearing fish or wildlife.  Agencies shall consider such guidelines in developing their policies and rules.
(c)	Beginning January 1, 1997, each State agency shall annually report its progress in implementing this section to the State Working Group on Environmental Justice and the Citizens Advisory Council on Environmental Justice.
"§ 113A-240.  Public participation and access to information.
(a)	State agencies shall give public notice of its environmental justice activities that are required under this Article.  The public may submit recommendations to State agencies relating to the incorporation of environmental justice principles into State agency programs or policies, including any procedures undertaken to adopt rules to implement this Article.  Each State agency shall convey public recommendations to the State Working Group on Environmental Justice.
(b)	Each State agency shall translate crucial public documents, notices, and transcripts of hearings relating to environmental justice for limited English-speaking populations that request, in writing, such translation.
(c)	Each State agency shall work to ensure that public documents, notices, and transcripts of hearings relating to environmental justice are concise, understandable, lacking in technical language, readily accessible to the public, and distributed to the public through multiple modes of communication and media.
(d)	The State Working Group on Environmental Justice shall hold public meetings, as it determines appropriate, for the purpose of fact finding, receiving public comments, and conducting inquiries concerning environmental justice.  The Working Group shall prepare for public review a summary of the comments and recommendations discussed at the public meetings.
"§ 113A-241.  Administrative and judicial review; private right of action.
(a)	All decisions made by the State Working Group on Environmental Justice and any State agency pursuant to this Article shall be subject to administrative review and judicial review by any individual living in an affected community pursuant to Chapter 150B of the General Statutes.
(b)	Any individual living in a community affected by a State agency program, policy, or activity that has an impact upon human health or the environment shall have standing to seek administrative review and judicial review under subsection (a) of this section.
(c)	Unless the State agency can show that its position was substantially justified, any prevailing party may petition for attorneys' fees and shall recover attorneys' fees in an amount to be determined by the administrative law judge or superior court judge.
"§ 113A-242.  Miscellaneous provisions.
(a)	Responsibility for agency implementation. – The highest official of each State agency shall be responsible for ensuring compliance with this Article.  Each State agency shall conduct internal reviews and take such other steps as may be necessary to monitor compliance with this Article.
(b)	Native American programs. – Each State agency responsibility set forth under this Article shall apply to Native American programs.
(c)	Costs. – A State agency shall use funds available to it for the costs of complying with this Article.  Failure to receive an appropriation by the General Assembly shall not be justification for any State agency to fail to comply with this Article."
Sec. 4.  Article 1 of Chapter 113A of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 113A-14.  Increased public participation.
(a)	In addition to those requirements specified in other statutes, State agencies, local governments, and any other governing body responsible for permit decisions set forth in G.S. 113A-4.2 shall give widely circulated multimedia public notice of its hearings and environmental decision-making activities, including regulatory, permitting, enforcement, and siting.
(b)	The public may submit recommendations to State agencies, local governments, and other governing bodies responsible for siting decisions, which recommendations relate to the incorporation of environmental justice principles to State agency programs or policies, including any rule-making procedures engaged to effectuate environmental justice principles.  Each State agency shall convey such recommendations to the State Working Group on Environmental Justice created pursuant to G.S. 113A-236.
(c)	Each State agency shall translate crucial public documents, notices, and hearings relating to human health or the environment for limited English speaking populations.
(d)	Each State agency shall work to ensure that public documents, notices, and hearings relating to human health or the environment are concise, understandable, lacking in technical language, written in Spanish where necessary, readily accessible to the public, and distributed to the public through multiple modes of communication and media.
(e)	The Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice and the Citizens Advisory Council on Environmental Justice, created pursuant to G.S. 113A-236, shall hold public meetings, as appropriate, for the purpose of fact-finding, receiving public comments, and conducting inquiries concerning environmental justice.  The State Working Group on Environmental Justice and the State Citizens Advisory Council on Environmental Justice shall prepare for public review a summary of the comments and recommendations discussed at the public meetings."
Sec. 5.  Chapter 132 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 132-6.1.  Examination of public records involving environmental protection.
Public records in the possession of the Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources related to environmental permitting shall be available to the public for inspection and copying at no cost for copying."
Sec. 6.  G.S. 113A-13 is repealed.
Sec. 7.  Article 1 of Chapter 113A of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 113A-15.  Right to a contested hearing and judicial review.
(a)	Any individual living in a community affected by any State agency program, policy, and activity, including permitting activities, that affects human health or the environment of that person's community shall have standing to file a contested case pursuant to Article 3 of Chapter 150B, of the General Statutes.
(b)	Any individual living in a community affected by any State agency program, policy, and activity, including permitting activities, that affects human health or the environment of that person's community shall have the right to seek judicial review pursuant to Article 4 of Chapter 150B of the General Statutes if the requirements of G.S. 150B-43 are satisfied.
(c)	Any individual filing a contested case or seeking judicial review pursuant to Article 3 or 4 of Chapter 150B of the General Statutes, if he or she is the prevailing party, shall be entitled to recover attorneys' fees to be awarded by the administrative law judge or superior court judge upon petition filed by the individual, unless the State agency can prove that its position was substantially justified.
(d)	As used in this section, 'affected communities' means communities affected by State agency programs, policies, and activities, including permitting activities, that affects human health or the environment.  'Affected community' includes low-income communities and minority communities.  A 'community' within the meaning of this section is defined by the persons who live within a community and does not imply generic geographic or census boundaries."
Sec. 8.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) for the 1995-96 fiscal year and the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) for the 1996-97 fiscal year for the meeting and operating expenses of the State Working Group on Environmental Justice, as created in G.S. 113A-234, as enacted in Section 3 of this act.
Sec. 9.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) for the 1995-96 fiscal year and the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) for the 1996-97 fiscal year for the meeting and operating expenses of the Citizens Advisory Council on Environmental Justice, as created in G.S. 113A-235, as enacted in Section 3 of this act.
Sec. 10.  Sections 8 and 9 of this act become effective July 1, 1995.  The remaining sections of this act are effective upon ratification.