Mar 12 2008
Easley Outlines Drought Plan
DURHAM — Key legislators and at least some local officials are welcoming Gov. Mike Easley’s announcement that he’d push the General Assembly to enact measures that would improve the state’s ability to cope with droughts.
Easley’s three-plank proposal asks legislators to give him expanded powers to counter supply shortages, to beef up state conservation mandates and to take steps to encourage the modernization of public water systems.
The governor announced his plan during a Tuesday news conference.
“We really have a 19th-century water system in place in the 21st century,” Easley said. “We want to make North Carolina drought-proof so if we have an additional two years like this somewhere down the road, we won’t run into the problems that we’re running into this time.”
Reaction on Tuesday from legislative leaders was favorable.
Something is definitely going to have to change. There were times within the past six months since this drought started that certain areas of the state were within two to three months of running out of water completely. The state should have more power in regards of controlling water consumption in a situation like that. Additionally, North Carolina is one of the fastest growing states in the nation. Obviously additional population is only going to exacerbate the problem of limited resources down the road. Technological renovations are inevitable. I think we should move to something along the lines of a desalinization plant to use ocean water.
Free Market Pricing: All the conservation without the “water-cops”.