Jeremy Loeb

A bill working its way through the state legislature would roll back renewable energy requirements for utility companies, but the company that would be most affected - Duke Energy - is not saying much about it. 

A conservation group has partnered with the Marine Corps to preserve nearly 700 acres of land in Carteret County.  The land is located beneath airspace near Cherry Point that's used for training runs for pilots.  Camilla Herlevich is Executive Director of the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust.

The Coastal Resources Commission is taking a more cautious approach with regards to documenting sea level rise.  The group’s science panel became a lightning rod when it was suggested it didn’t consider differing viewpoints on climate change – an assertion the board disputes.  Legislation was introduced that required them to come out with another assessment in 2016 that says all available data must be considered.  Commission chairman Bob Emory says that’s fine and that’s what they were doing anyway.

A bill that has cleared the North Carolina Senate would wipe out current members of many state commissions immediately if it became law in its current form.  The bill would then give Governor Pat McCrory the power to replace them.  Senate Bill 10 prompted a huge outcry from Democrats and others who say the bill is an unprecedented power grab.  The Coastal Resources Commission would be one that’s impacted.  Chairman Bob Emory says the bill has major problems.

A North Carolina group opposed to gay marriage has filed an Amicus Brief with the US Supreme Court.  The move puts North Carolina's gay marriage ban back squarely in spotlight.  Last May, North Carolinians went to the polls to vote on Amendment One, which would effectively ban gay marriage in the state's constitution.  Tami Fitzgerald is Executive Director of the North Carolina Values Coalition, the group that spearheaded the effort to pass the amendment.