Coastal Plain Resilience and Eco. Pros. Act.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 590

Short Title: Coastal Plain Resilience and Eco. Pros. Act. (Public)
Sponsors: Senator Smith (Primary Sponsor).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 26, 2025
*S590-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO APPROPRIAT E MONEY TO THE DEPAR TMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AL 2
QUALITY FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
SECTION 1.(a) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 5
Environmental Quality, Division of Coastal Management, the sum of one million seven hundred 6
ten thousand dollars ($1,710,000) in recurring funds for each fiscal year of the 2025-2027 fiscal 7
biennium to be used for the following purposes: 8
(1) To provide funding for two full -time positions to staff the Resilient Coastal 9
Communities Program. 10
(2) To provide grant funding, including federal match funding, and technical 11
assistance for targeted pro jects designed to reduce flood risk and promote 12
long-term resilience. 13
SECTION 1.(b) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 14
Environmental Quality, Division of Coastal Management, the sum of four hundred seventy 15
thousand dollars ($ 470,000) in recurring funds for each fiscal year of the 2025 -2027 fiscal 16
biennium to provide funding for five full-time positions to staff the Coastal Habitat Assessment 17
Program. 18
SECTION 1.(c) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 19
Environmental Quality the sum of nine hundred ninety thousand dollars ($990,000) in recurring 20
funds for each fiscal year of the 2025 -2027 fiscal biennium to provide funding for six full -time 21
positions to continue implementation of the Flood Resiliency B lueprint described in Section 22
5.9(c) of S.L. 2021-180, as amended. 23
SECTION 1.(d) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 24
Environmental Quality (the "Department") the sum of one million two hundred ten thousand 25
dollars ($1,210,000) in recurring funds and five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) in 26
nonrecurring funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to provide funding for eight full-time positions 27
to (i) offer relevant technical assistance to the business community in dealings with the 28
Department, (ii) assist in grant administration for recycling industry growth, and (iii) provide 29
improved customer service in the Department's regional offices. 30
SECTION 1.(e) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 31
Environmental Quality, Division of Marine Fisheries, the sum of six hundred thousand dollars 32
($600,000) in recurring funds and ten thousand dollars ($10,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 33
2025-2026 fiscal year to provide funding for five full-time marine patrol officer positions. 34
SECTION 1.(f) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 35
Environmental Quality, Division of Air Quality, the sum of four hundred thousand dollars 36
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 590-First Edition
($400,000) in recurring funds each fiscal year of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium and five hundred 1
fifty thousand dollars ($550,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to provide 2
funding for three full-time positions to staff the mobile air quality monitoring unit. 3
SECTION 1.(g) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 4
Environmental Quality the sum of three million one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($3,150,000) 5
in nonrecurring funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to fund overtopping studies for all remaining 6
high and intermediate hazard dams in the State, in accordance with G.S. 143-215.32A. 7
SECTION 1.(h) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 8
Environmental Quality the sum of one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) in 9
nonrecurring funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to be used for the ten percent (10%) cost-share 10
required for Superfund cleanups on the National Priority List sites and to pay the operating and 11
maintenance costs associated with those Superfund cleanups. 12
SECTION 1.(i) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 13
Environmental Quality (the "Department") the sum of four million ten thousand dollars 14
($4,010,000) in recurring funds each fiscal year of the 2025 -2027 fiscal biennium and five 15
hundred ninety thousand dollars ($590,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year 16
to provide funding for 24 full-time positions to assist the Department in addressing the emerging 17
compounds (including PFAs) issue in the State. 18
SECTION 1.(j) There is appropriated from the Genera l Fund to the Department of 19
Environmental Quality the sum of two billion dollars ($2,000,000,000) in nonrecurring funds for 20
the 2025-2026 fiscal year for the Water Infrastructure Fund to be allocated to the Drinking Water 21
Reserve and the Wastewater Reserve to provide project construction grants for public water 22
systems and wastewater systems. The limits set forth in G.S. 159G-36(c) shall not apply to grants 23
awarded from funds allocated by this subsection. 24
SECTION 2. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 25