A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to amend various environmental reporting requirements, as recommended by the environmental review commission.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Article 4 of Chapter 113A of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 113A‑67.  Annual report.
The Department shall report to the Environmental Review Commission on the implementation of this Article on or before 1 October of each year. The Department shall include in the report an analysis of how well the implementation of the Sedimentation Pollution Control Act of 1973 is preventing the sedimentation of streams, rivers, lakes, and other waters of the State. The report shall also include a review of the effectiveness of local erosion and sedimentation control programs."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 113A‑235(c) reads as rewritten:
"(c)	Report. – The Department shall report on the implementation of this Article to the Environmental Review Commission no later than 1 October of each year. The Department shall maintain an inventory of all conservation easements held by the Department. The inventory shall be included in the report required by this subsection."
SECTION 3.  G.S. 113A‑241(c) reads as rewritten:
"(c)	The Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources shall report to the Governor and the Environmental Review Commission on or before 1 October of each year on the State's progress towards attaining the goal established in this section."
SECTION 4.  G.S. 143‑215.107C(b) reads as rewritten:
"(b)	It shall be the goal of the State that on and after 1 January 2004 at least seventy‑five percent (75%) of the new or replacement light duty cars and trucks purchased by the State will be alternative‑fueled vehicles or low emission vehicles. The Department of Administration, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources shall jointly develop a plan to achieve this goal and to fuel and maintain these vehicles. For purposes of this section, a light duty car or truck is one that is rated at 8,500 pounds or less Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)."
SECTION 5.  G.S. 143‑355.1 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
"(g)	The Council shall report on the implementation of this section to the Secretary, the Governor, and the Environmental Review Commission no later than 1 October of each year. The report shall include a review of drought advisories issued by the Council and any recommendations to improve coordination among local, State, and federal agencies; public water systems; and water users to improve the management and mitigation of the harmful effects of drought."
SECTION 6.  The Department of Environment and Natural Resources shall submit the first report required by G.S. 113A‑67, as enacted by Section 1 of this act, to the Environmental Review Commission on or before 1 October 2005.  The Drought Management Advisory Council shall submit the first report required by G.S. 143‑355.1, as enacted by Section 5 of this act, to the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, the Governor, and the Environmental Review Commission on or before 1 October 2005.
SECTION 7.  This act is effective when it becomes law.