GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2015

S                                                                                                                                                    D

SENATE DRS35235-MH-121A  (3/22)

 

 

 

Short Title:        Agricultural Regulatory Relief.		(Public)
Sponsors:	Senator Cook (Primary Sponsor).
Referred to:

 

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT to provide regulatory relief to farmers by requiring the Department of transportation to study Bridge weight restrictions in agricultural areas and the regulations governing transport of fuel for agricultural use by farm vehicles; and by requiring the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to study regulatory barriers to increasing drainage of agricultural lands impacted by sea level change.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.(a)  DOT Study. – The Department of Transportation shall study the following:

(1)        Weight limits set by the Board of Transportation for bridges on roads serving agricultural areas of the State, including (i) the impact on transport of agricultural products from farms due to additional transportation costs required to detour around weight restricted bridges, (ii) whether this impact is factored into bridge weight limit decisions, and (iii) the impacts on safety and transportation infrastructure were accommodations to be made for agricultural transport in areas of the State where bridge weight restrictions cause a significant hardship either due to the volume of farm products transportation traffic impacted or the length of detours caused by the weight restriction.

(2)        Limits and regulatory barriers on the transportation of fuel for use in agricultural activities to farms and from one farm to another farm, focusing on restrictions with respect to roads and routing in order to comply with vehicle weight limits.

SECTION 1.(b)  Report. – The Department shall report its findings and recommendations, including any legislative proposals, to the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee no later than February 1, 2016.

SECTION 2.(a)  DENR Study. – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources shall study regulatory barriers faced by farmers in counties regulated under Article 7 of Chapter 113A of the General Statutes who are impacted by diminished drainage from farmland due to rising sea level and therefore need to increase the pumping of surface water into canals and other man‑made drainage structures in order to continue the use of the land for agricultural activity. The report shall include the Department's recommendations for economically viable and environmentally sound methods for sufficient drainage of coastal agricultural lands impacted by rising sea levels.

SECTION 2.(b)  Report. – The Department shall report its findings and recommendations, including any legislative proposals, to the Environmental Review Commission no later than February 1, 2016.

SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.