​North Carolina counties would lose some of their ability to restrict where manufactured housing can be located under a bill filed in the North Carolina House.  Currently, many counties have significant restrictions on where manufactured homes can b ...[Read more]

When most people think of an easement, they think of a strip of land running across a piece of property that allows a third party to access or otherwise use the property.  For example, if you own a house on the side of a mountain that is surrounded ...[Read more]

The annual meeting of the Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners will be held in Asheville, North Carolina from June 9-12, 2013.  The conference is at the Grove Park Inn and this year's theme is "Prospecting for Balance: T ...[Read more]

The North Carolina Supreme Court has previously held that land-use regulations are in derogation of private property rights and should be construed in favor of freedom of use. A bill filed in the General Assembly would seek to put some teeth behind ...[Read more]

Legislation introduced in the General Assembly last week would significantly alter the role of the N.C. Utilities Commission Public Staff.  ​HB280 would prohibit the Public Staff from giving advice, guidance or opinions on any matter before the Util ...[Read more]

​A recent bill filed in the NC General Assembly, House Bill 276, would make changes to the statutes governing zoning boards of adjustment in North Carolina.  The proposed changes to G.S. 160A-388 and 153A-345 are long overdue and would modernize the ...[Read more]

The General Assembly is considering a bill that would repeal the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards (REPS) that were originally put in place in 2007.  Companion bills were introduced in the House and Senate on March 14 and 20, 2013, respectively.  ...[Read more]

If Senate Bill 76 ​passes in current form, North Carolina will take a significant step towards actual drilling for gas within the state.  The bill authorizes the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Mining and Energy Commis ...[Read more]

The Senate Rules Committee considered and approved a bill on Tuesday morning that would remove all of the current members of the Utilities Commission, Environmental Management Commission, Coastal Resources Commission, Lottery Commission and Wildlife ...[Read more]

​With the transition at DENR, and continued emphasis on regulatory reform at the General Assembly, we have several suggestions for changes to our state environmental laws. We’ll start with some “low hanging fruit.”  Currently, the cleanup standards ...[Read more]