You know how in Durham we like to talk (dare I say complain) that the city doesn’t have enough power to regulate developers that are taking over downtown and making it unaffordable? And how there’s nothing we can really do?

This is partly because our lovely NCGA restricts cities from making local ordinances. They also allow for deregulation of big biz.

And the NCGA is up to it again but this time there is something you can do! Yay! Yesterday, HB 496 passed committee & will be voted on shortly.

This bill is a chainsaw in sheep’s clothing. It is ridiculously named the “Property Owner Rights” bill but what it actually aims to do is prevent cities from making conservation & tree protection ordinances. Which in turn will allow those developers above to just #CutAllTheTrees.

Why does the NCGA even care about this? Because a developer with deep pockets in Southern Pines got upset he couldn’t develop land protected by a tree ordinance.

Spoiler alert: if we keep clear cutting trees we’re not going to need to have houses to live in because the climate disaster we are facing will just take care of it for us.

Also, I trust our local county commission and city council to make mindful ordinances all on their own.

Okay, I could go on about this for a while, but this bill just stinks for lots of reasons. And we have a chance to stop it. Right now.

Will you join me? https://actionnetwork.org/letters/stand-up-for-trees-stop-nc-hb-496