One of my guests on my television show this week was N.C. Rep. John Bell. We discussed a number of significant events that have occurred and are occurring in the current legislative session, which is rapidly drawing to a close.
One thing became very clear: Although the GOP holds significant majorities in both the Senate and the House, it is not always easy to enact legislation that the leadership might want. For example, as recent as three months ago it seemed certain that the effort to repeal what is known as the Higher Electric Bill Mandate would be successful. You may recall that in 2007 this mandate was enacted, requiring that by 2021 the state's investor-owned utilities must provide 12.5 percent of their energy from renewable sources, defined as solar, wind and biomass. According to the N.C. Utilities Commission, this amounted to a $310 million cost increase or tax hike on North Carolinians. We are the only state in the Southeast that mandates higher electricity costs, and economic studies show that these mandates adversely impact our economy — costing us monetarily, as well as in jobs lost.
Solar power costs twice as much as wind power, four times the cost of coal and five times the cost of natural gas. Moreover, solar, wind and biomass are not only expensive but are also unreliable, and none of them can meet a consistent demand for electricity.
A John Locke Foundation study of this mandate found that, when fully implemented in 2021, it would increase North Carolina's electricity rates by $1.8 billion, which translates into an average increase per household of 19 percent. Bell quoted Rep. Mike Hager as saying that this repeal legislation (House Bill 298) was stopped by a moderate GOP coalition led by Mecklenburg Reps. Jeter and Samuelson. Hager said he was surprised to see how deeply entrenched "green" corporate welfare had become in North Carolina, but that he believes the attention this bill received raised awareness among his GOP colleagues that "there is no end in sight to the expensive, tax-fueled subsidies allowing a handful of companies to enrich themselves."
He further stated that he would continue fighting for the conservative ideal of ending the state's renewable energy subsidies, and that, at the very least, mandates in the 2007 Senate Bill 3 would be scaled back.
Other interesting legislation making its way through the Legislature are: (1) A proposed state law to prohibit North Carolina cities and towns from using zoning laws to control the way houses look, which would prohibit city planners from dictating purely aesthetic elements of single-family homes and duplexes, such as paint color and building materials, and (2) a bill that would authorize tax dollars to be used for private school vouchers. We will discuss both these efforts in a future column.
Bell cited some successes in this session, such as: (1) Lifting the moratorium on drilling for natural gas; (2) lessening the maximum benefit and duration of unemployment insurance; (3) repealing the Racial Justice Act; (4) enacting a strong Voter ID bill; and (5) securing a more properly structured tax system to increase jobs and encourage new businesses to come to North Carolina.
And finally, I think most of us would agree that we need, at all levels, smaller, more transparent government, with less regulations and more faith in and support of the Free Enterprise System, constitutional government and individual initiative and liberty.
God bless America.
Reece Gardner is the host of “The Reece Gardner Hour,” which airs on TACC-9 on Mondays at 9 p.m., Tuesdays at 8 p.m., Thursdays at 11 p.m., Sundays at 10:30 p.m. and on-demand anytime at TACC9.com. You can reach Reece at rbgej@aol.com.