The Army Corps of Engineers’ Dredge Murden off Ocracoke. Photo: P. Vankevich
From our news sources
Further update April 7: The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division suspended all service on Pamlico Sound between Cedar Island, Swan Quarter and Ocracoke through Monday, April 12, due to worsening shoaling issues in the ferry channel just outside of Ocracoke’s Silver Lake Harbor.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Dredge Murden and/or Dredge Merritt will continue to work in the Bigfoot Slough channel to clear the shoaling, but dredging operations are dependent on weather and tides. Once the dredging work is complete and water depths and channel widths return to acceptable levels, the Ferry Division will resume the schedule on both routes.
Shoaling occurs when sand and sediment fill into a ferry channel, making water depths too shallow for safe operation of the ferry system’s largest vessels.
Once the dredging work is complete and water depths in the ferry channel return to acceptable levels, the Ferry Division will resume its regular schedule on both routes.
Justin LeBlanc, chair of the Ocracoke Waterways Commission, had reported on March 26 that the ACE said funding for the Murden would last until the first week of April. The Murden has to leave for another job on April 9, but the side caster dredge Merritt will be available after that.
The ACE had planned to conduct a survey of the primary shoal in Big Foot Slough on March 28 so they can better assess the conditions and make adjustments as needed.
For up-to-the-minute information on schedule changes on the Cedar Island and Swan Quarter routes, please follow @NCFerryPamSound on Twitter.
The NC Ferry Division today halted the Cedar Island and Swan Quarter ferries due to shoaling in Big Foot Slough.
This is the area where the hopper dredge Murden is working, but Ferry Division Spokesman Tim Hass said today that this area filled in “last night or this morning.”
The Ferry Division tweeted this around 8:30 this morning.
The Murden will continue to dredge this area and the Ferry Division will do a survey later today.
“Hopefully, we will have a partial schedule tomorrow,” Hass said.
Hass on Tuesday said that the Murden, owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACE), arrived on Ocracoke on March 17 and worked for a day and a half in Big Foot Slough, which is just outside of Ocracoke, before halting due to inclement weather the last several days.
Since early March, the Ferry Division has canceled some ferry runs in the Pamlico Sound due to shoaling in Big Foot Slough.
Instead of wholesale suspending service, the Ferry Division has canceled various runs each day, Hass said.
For daily updates, islanders are urged to monitor the N.C. Ferry Pamlico Sound routes on Twitter: @NCFerryPamSound.
Hass said the Swan Quarter, the largest boat in the Pamlico route fleet, drafts deeper than the others and will be out of service until the slough is dredged.
North Atlantic right whale photo by Moira Brown and New England Aquarium, Courtesy of Wiki Commons.
Editor: Just last week, an aerial survey team from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium spotted a North Atlantic right whale mother and her newly born calf off the coast of Lea-Hutaff Island here in North Carolina, in Pender County near the New Hanover County line.
This is a big deal, folks. There are only around 360 of these gentle giants remaining in the world, and they could go extinct in our lifetimes. As these mother whales have their calves off the southeast Atlantic coast, they are simultaneously being decimated by collisions with vessels and entanglements in fishing gear.
Even a single human-caused death in a year threatens this species’ changes of survival, which is why we all must give them their space. Federal law requires vessels, paddle boarders, aircrafts, and even drones to stay at least 500 yards away from North Atlantic right whales. This restriction helps to reduce the risk of disruptions to or collisions between the whales and boats, but it is not enough.
We must do more for these rare whales, like requiring vessels to slow down and reducing the amount of fishing gear in their habitats. If we fail, this will be the first large whale species go extinct in the Atlantic Ocean for centuries, and it will have been on our watch.
We are better than this. The government has the ability and the responsibility to strengthen protections for North Atlantic right whales and prevent their extinction.
North Carolina, join me in demanding our government to take action before it’s too late. Visit oceana.org/RightWhaleToSave to learn more.
Randy Sturgill, Senior Campaign Organizer, Oceana Wilmington, NC
The Ocracoke Health Center urges all adults to register for a COVID-19 vaccine. Call 252-489-3622.
By Connie Leinbach
As COVID-19 cases continue to wane, the Ocracoke Health Center urges all island residents who want a vaccine to register to get one.
“We received our allotment this week, but we don’t have enough people who have signed up,” said Mandy Cochran, RN, who coordinates the COVID-19 vaccines.
She said that all people 18 and over should register, although they are still prioritizing by groups. That means that if an 18-year-old and a 65-year-old register, the 65-year-old will go first.
Cochran vaccinates in groups of 10 and does not want to waste the vaccines, which last refrigerated for 30 days. The health center has not wasted any vaccines, she said.
There are three ways to preregister. ONLINE:https://ocracokehealthcenter.org/covid-19-vaccine…/ PAPER FORM: You can get a copy at the Ocracoke Health Center or click on the above link. PHONE: Call the designated phone number for COVID vaccines at 252-489-3622. Leave a message with your name, DOB, and phone number. Someone will call you back. Multiple messages will delay callback times.
To date, Ocracoke Health Center has vaccinated 500 islanders out of a population of about 1,100, she said.
Although people from the western part of the state and beyond have registered with the health center, they have to understand that if they want the shot, they have to come to Ocracoke.
“We’re not coming to them,” she said.
Off islanders who have property here can register with the health center. The Ocracoke Health Center has a special number, 252-489-3622, for COVID testing or prescription refill requests only.
As of March 22, Hyde County Health Department reports a total of 643 cases. There is one active case in the county and 634 recovered and eight deaths.
In the meantime, North Carolina’s COVID-19 trends continue to show improvement, according to Gov. Roy Cooper in a press briefing on Tuesday.
The statewide mask mandate is still in effect.
Vaccine distribution increases with 31.7% of North Carolinians over 18 having received at least one dose of vaccine,
Because of these favorable trends, Cooper eased more restrictions in a new executive order No. 204, which states:
All businesses must continue to maintain the 6 feet of distance requirement between patrons and implement other safety protocols as they expand their capacity.
Executive Order No. 204 will also increase mass gathering limits. The number of people who may gather indoors will increase to 50 and the number of people who may gather outdoors will increase to 100.
This order also fully lifts the restriction on the late-night sale and service of alcoholic beverages on bars, restaurants, and other establishments.
Indoors and outdoors up to 100% capacity, subject to masks and 6 ft. social distancing: Museums and Aquariums Retail Businesses Salons, personal care and grooming businesses, tattoo parlors
Indoors up to 75% and outdoors up to 100% capacity, subject to masks and 6 ft. social distancing: Restaurants Breweries, wineries and distilleries Recreation (e.g., bowling, skating, rock climbing) Fitness and physical activity facilities (e.g., gyms, yoga studios, fitness centers) Pools Amusement parks
Indoors and outdoors up to 50% capacity, subject to masks and 6 ft. social distancing: Bars Movie theaters (may operate up to 75% outdoors) Gaming facilities (may operate up to 75% outdoors) Meeting, reception and conference spaces Lounges (including tobacco) and night clubs Auditoriums, Arenas, and other venues for live performances
Sports Arenas and Fields (includes professional, collegiate, and amateur activities and settings are lower risk when they involve interacting with fewer people, being outside, keeping masks on the entire time, keeping interactions with people short (under 15 minutes), staying physically distant, and avoiding singing, yelling, and cheering, according to public health officials.
State health officials are continuing to monitor the presence of COVID-19 and its more contagious variants in North Carolina, which is why it is important to continue to have a mask mandate and continue to practice safety precautions, including the Three Ws: Wear a mask, Wait 6 feet apart, and Wash hands often.
To catch up on Ocracoke news and much more, click here
After a year’s Covid-related hiatus, the third annual Ocracoke Waterfowl Festival, produced by the Ocracoke Island Decoy Carvers Guild, is set to take place Saturday, April 17 9 am to 5 pm.
Unlike the first two events that took place at the Ocracoke School gym, this year it will be on the Berkeley Manor grounds and inside the barn.
“We want to make sure that we still be respectful of all the state, federal, different guidelines,” said the Guild’s president John Simpson. “There is plenty of space on the grounds and in the open-air barn for safe distancing, and we ask that all be respectful by wearing masks. We have a lot of older folks that will be exhibiting.”
This year’s featured carver will be William Nathan Spencer. He chose the Ring-necked Duck, which nests in freshwater marshes and bogs across the boreal forests of northern North America and which winters in small numbers on the Outer Banks.
More than 20 exhibiters will be hand to sell and display their works. Former featured carvers Dave O’Neal and Dan Robinson will be there, and legendary Carver Oliver Larson from Crisfield, Maryland, and Casey Arthur from Carteret County will be back.
Founded in January 2018, the Ocracoke Island Duck Carvers Guild organized the first waterfowl festival that April and again in 2019. Both well-attended events were held in the Ocracoke School gym. Hurricane Dorian in September 2019 caused so much damage to the school that it and the gym are not expected to be rebuilt until 2022.
Despite recent loosening of some COVID-19 restrictions, Simpson cautioned that should there be a resurgence of the pandemic, the festival would follow state guidelines and cancel if ordered to do so.
Several islanders, including Simpson, brothers Vince O’Neal and Dave O’Neal, dad and son Dan and Scotty Robinson, Trudy Austin and Stephanie O’Neal, formed the guild to preserve Ocracoke’s long, rich tradition of decoy carving.
“Waterfowling has been a dramatic part of Ocracoke’s heritage and this folk art needs to be kept from becoming a lost art,” Simpson said at the time.
The Guild has monthly meetings, 7 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month in the Community Center. All are welcome to attend.
Folks can bring decoys to the meeting to discuss including ones that aren’t signed since decoy sleuthing is a welcomed challenge by the members.
The dredge Murden can be seen faintly on the horizon near Big Foot Island, which is alongside Big Foot Slough. Photo: C. Leinbach
Editor’s note: The Observer misprinted the Swan Quarter to Ocracoke ferry cancellation. It should have read 1:30 p.m. Swan Quarter to Ocracoke. It is corrected below.
By Connie Leinbach
After a few days of inclement weather, the hopper dredge Murden is on the job scouring out the shoaling sands in Big Foot Slough while dredging in the South Ferry Channel, at the north end, will benefit commercial fishing vessels.
Ferry Division Spokesman Tim Hass said today that the Murden, owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACE), arrived on Ocracoke on March 17 and worked for a day and a half in Big Foot Slough, which is just outside of Ocracoke, before halting due to inclement weather the last several days.
Since early March, the Ferry Division has canceled some ferry runs in the Pamlico Sound due to shoaling in Big Foot Slough.
The Ferry Division tweeted today that due to shoaling the following Pamlico Sound routes are canceled through March 25: 7:30 a.m. Cedar Island to Ocracoke; 10 a.m. Ocracoke to Swan Quarter; 1:30 p.m. Swan Quarter to Ocracoke and 4:30 p.m. Ocracoke to Cedar Island.
They have canceled these runs to prevent suspending service entirely on these routes, Hass said.
For daily updates, islanders are urged to monitor the N.C. Ferry Pamlico Sound routes on Twitter: @NCFerryPamSound.
Hass said the Swan Quarter, the largest boat in the Pamlico route fleet, drafts deeper than the others and will be out of service until the slough is dredged.
“We need the channel to be safe,” Hass said about the current dredging project. “(The Murden) will be there however long it takes.”
Islanders and visitors to Ocracoke may see the side caster dredge, Merritt, if they are on a ferry between Ocracoke and Hatteras.
That dredge is finishing up a project to dredge the South Ferry Channel on the Ocracoke side of Hatteras Inlet, but this project won’t benefit the ferries traveling to and from Ocracoke.
The Dare County Board of Commissioners on March 8 approved $60,000 to help pay for additional dredging that the side caster dredge Merritt has been working on.
This channel benefits commercial and recreational fishing boats and the Coast Guard on their way from Hatteras out into the ocean, Dare County Project Manager Brent Johnson said in an interview today.
Dredging was temporarily suspended, Johnson said, because the Merritt bent a rudder last Friday when it got pushed into some shoaling. It’s on its way to the Ferry Division’s boatyard in Mann’s Harbor for repair and he expects it back on the job this Friday.
The project will go beyond its allotted time because of the intense shoaling in this part of the inlet.
Johnson said that in the mornings when the tide is higher, the Merritt works in the South Ferry Channel then moves to the Hatteras Inlet in the afternoon.
Johnson said that the Merritt needs to scoop out an area seven feet deep by 100 feet wide and has only done five feet of depth and 60 feet of width.
At the March 16 Ocracoke Waterways Commission meeting, Todd Horton of the ACE, noted Dare’s contribution and said after the Merritt and the Murden were done in Hatteras, they would come to Ocracoke to dredge Big Foot.
In this Army Corps of Engineers survey of the South Ferry Channel area, area outlined by a dotted line shows the area where the Dare County commissioners appropriated more money for dredging. Ocracoke’s South Dock (at the north end) can be seen at the bottom.
The side caster dredge Merritt works in the Hatteras Inlet in the afternoons. Photo: C. Leinbach
Seagrass beds like this can be found on the sound side of North Carolina’s barrier islands. Photo: APNEP
North Carolina sounds are losing seagrass, an indicator of the state’s water quality.
According to a recently published metric report by Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership, or APNEP, there’s been a net loss of at least 5% between 2006 and 2013 of the high-salinity submerged aquatic vegetation, or SAV, habitat in the Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system, which is the second-largest in the United States.
APNEP works to identify, protect, restore and monitor the natural resources of the Albemarle-Pamlico region, which has more than 3,000 square miles of estuarine waters and a land area of 28,000 square miles. Pasquotank, Chowan and Roanoke basins flow into Albemarle Sound, and the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse basins into Pamlico Sound. Rivers of the White Oak basin flow into the southern sounds — Core, Back, and Bogue – of the region.
Also known as seagrass or underwater grasses, this vegetation plays various roles in keeping Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine System waters healthy by providing habitat, food and shelter for aquatic life as well as absorbing and recycling nutrients and filtering sediment, according to the report.
The seagrasses also act as a barometer of the condition of water. SAV is extremely sensitive to water quality, including nutrient and sediment pollution. The decrease in acreage suggests that the overall health of North Carolina’s estuaries may be worsening, according to APNEP.
“Because these underwater meadows are a public resource that play a vital role in maintaining the diversity, health, and sustainability of North Carolina’s sounds, APNEP has designated seagrass as a ‘valued ecosystem component’ and an ecosystem indicator that should be regularly monitored and assessed,” Dean Carpenter, program scientist for APNEP, told Coastal Review Online.
The data used for the report from two aerial surveys, one from 2006-2007 and the other from 2013, confirm that the state has about 100,000 acres of seagrass, the largest acreage on the east coast, according to APNEP.
However, the overall amount of seagrass meadows in the Albemarle-Pamlico estuary decreased by 5,686 acres, or 5.6%, between 2006 and 2013, even though the estuary is an ideal habitat for seagrasses to survive.
The seagrass communities in the APNEP region are on the back-barrier shelves of the Outer Banks between the Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge on U.S. 64 that connects Roanoke Island and the Outer Banks, south to Ocracoke Inlet, and on the Outer Banks and mainland shores of Core, Back and Bogue sounds, the report states.
The Albemarle-Pamlico watershed. All the streams, creeks, and rivers in the area shown ultimately flow into the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuary. Map: APNEP
The observed decline in seagrass was more pronounced in the southern end of the study area, which includes Back and Bogue sounds, with a decrease of about 1.5% per year, compared to the central and northern sections of the study area, which declined 0.5% and 1.1% per year, respectively.
It is likely that increased water pollution within the relatively highly populated, densely developed southern region contributed to its higher observed rate of seagrass decline, according to APNEP.
The report cites the state Department of Environmental Quality’s North Carolina Coastal Habitat Protection Plan, which states that major threats to SAV habitat are channel dredging and water quality degradation from excessive nutrient and sediment loading, as well as the emerging threat of accelerated sea level rise, barrier island instability, increasing water temperatures and the expansion of shellfish mariculture.
The data presented in the report cannot be compared to earlier SAV mapping efforts, according to the recent report. While some pre-2000 efforts to map SAV in the APNEP region have been performed, they are limited in scope.
Meanwhile, steps are being taken to rebuild SAV in North Carolina waters.
“One of the leading causes of SAV decline is thought to be decreased water clarity, which inhibits sunlight to reach these aquatic plants,” Carpenter explained.
On the research front, he continued, APNEP is supporting research by University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences faculty involving the refinement of a bio-optical SAV model, which will help determine how different water-quality components such as phytoplankton and turbidity are contributing to decreased water clarity.
“Using this bio-optical model in concert with targeted monitoring data will provide valuable input to future assessments as to where water resource managers need to focus their efforts with respect to mitigating particular constituents, with the intention of improving water clarity,” Carpenter said.
On the policy front, APNEP has a SAV Team that includes partners involved the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan implementation, with SAV being a priority focal habitat during 2020-2021, he said.
“Team partners are also involved in NCDEQ’s Nutrient Criteria Development Plan implementation, with SAV under consideration as a biological endpoint targeted for protection.”
More mapping of seagrass amounts is essential to better understand the current status and long-term trends of SAV in North Carolina. Integration of seagrass mapping with other collaborative environmental monitoring programs is critical to identifying and managing the causes of seagrass decline, APNEP said in a release.
A close-up view of subaquatic vegetation. Photo: APNEP
APNEP and partner organizations, including the state Division of Marine Fisheries, coordinated a third study completed in 2019-2020.
The additional survey data being analyzed will help APNEP provide a more complete picture of seagrass status and trends in the Albemarle-Pamlico estuary, and will be used to help develop protection and restoration strategies for the region, including conservation and management actions supported by the North Carolina Coastal Habitat Protection Plan.
The hope is to produce a map by the third quarter of this year, followed by a revised assessment report during the fourth quarter. “Note that such deliverable schedules provide a much more rapid turnaround than before,” he said.
Carpenter said it would be premature to predict what the data will show from the third survey.
“Having documented only two intervals in time roughly six years apart, coupled with a lack of knowledge of SAV baseline (historical) dynamics at the regional scale, a forecast would be premature,” Carpenter explained. “But given the factors influencing SAV condition, it would not surprise me if we discover a continued decline in the resource. An intriguing question when we establish that third point is whether that decline is accelerating, and if so in what areas.”
In the near future, Carpenter said that APNEP is scheduled to produce an initial SAV monitoring plan in the first quarter of this year, “Whose purpose is two-fold: to develop an improved SAV monitoring network that in turn generates targeted data for future SAV assessment reports, and to facilitate the engagement of current and potential partners in that effort.”
Hurricane Dorian at peak intensity on Sept. 1, 2019. Photo by NOAA
By Peter Vankevich
Don’t expect to see another Hurricane Dorian or Laura–at least by name, not intensity. Both names along with last November’s hurricanes, Eta and Iota, were added to a long list of retired names by the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) Hurricane Committee at its virtual three-day spring meeting on March 17.
The committee also decided to no longer use the Greek alphabet for storm names when the names selected for a given year are all used.
There were discussions of starting the official hurricane season earlier than June 1, but that date will not change this year. The reason for a possible earlier date is that tropical storms have formed in May for the past six years. Taking into consideration the increased early storm activity, the National Hurricane Center said it will begin issuing Tropical Weather Outlooks in May, weeks before the official start of hurricane season.
Last year’s early starting and record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season, a total of 30 named storms that included 13 hurricanes, went beyond the normal list of 21 storm names so the following were added: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta and Iota.
Since 1954, the supplemental Greek letters were used only once before in the busy 2005 hurricane season.
A WMO press release stated the Greek alphabet will not be used in future because it creates a distraction from the communication of hazard and storm warnings and is potentially confusing.
According to the New York Times, the National Hurricane Center received inquiries from people who believed that Zeta was the last letter in the Greek alphabet and were asking what the next storm would be named. Zeta is only the sixth letter in the 24-letter Greek alphabet. Omega is the last.
Greek letters can be confusing when translated to other languages and the similarity of the sounds of the letters Zeta, Eta, and Theta were other reasons to no longer use this alphabet.
The Atlantic tropical cyclone name lists repeat every six years unless a storm is retired and would be replaced with another name starting with the same letter.
Here is the list of the 2021 Atlantic Basin storm names. The letters Q, U, X, Y and Z, which have few common names, are not used: Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Elsa, Fred, Grace, Henri, Ida, Julian, Kate, Larry, Mindy, Nicholas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sam, Teresa, Victor and Wanda.
The names selected come from one of six rotating alphabetic lists of 21 names. So, this list will be used again in 2027 with the possible exceptions that some storm names will be retired and replaced with other names.
Should there be more named storms this year, in lieu of the Greek alphabet, the following names will be used for the Atlantic Basin: Adria, Braylen, Caridad, Deshawn, Emery, Foster, Gemma, Heath, Isla, Jacobus, Kenzie, Lucio, Makayla, Nolan, Orlanda, Pax, Ronin, Sophie, Tayshaun, Viviana and Will.
The practice of retiring storm names was begun by the United States Weather Bureau in 1955, after major hurricanes Carol, Edna and Hazel struck the Northeastern United States during the previous year. Initially their names were retired for 10 years, after which time they could be reintroduced, but in 1969, the policy was changed to have the names retired permanently.
The retirement of Hurricane Dorian (2019) was delayed due the cancellation of last year’s spring meeting over the concerns of COVID-19.
Dorian was a Category 5 hurricane that at one time had winds peaking at 185 mph and surpassed Hurricane Irma of 2017 to become the most powerful Atlantic hurricane on record outside of the Caribbean Sea. Dorian was the worst natural disaster to strike the Bahamas in the country’s history. Dorian also is now one of the worst hurricanes to strike Ocracoke Island, and the island-wide inundation from it was the most damage than any other place in the continental United States. On the rotating list, scheduled for 2025, it will be replaced with Dexter.
Laura, in 2020, caused major devastation as it crossed the Atlantic from its origins off the coast of Africa striking the Lesser Antilles, the island of Hispaniola and across the length of Cuba. It continued its trek west across the Gulf of Mexico making landfall on Cameron, Louisiana, killing 33 people and caused approximately $19 billion in damage in the state. Leah will replace Laura on the list of names in 2026.
Hurricanes Eta and Iota both made landfall as Category 4 storms less than two weeks apart during November 2020 in the same area of the Nicaraguan coast just south of Puerto Cabezas. They caused extensive flooding in the Central American countries, resulting in at least 272 fatalities and damage losses of more than $9 billion. In the list of retired names, they will be Eta 2020 and Iota 2020.
The National Weather Service out of Newport/Morehead City reported this afternoon that strong northerly winds will continue through tonight, becoming north easterly on Saturday.
This will lead to minor to moderate coastal flooding for portions of soundside Outer Banks, areas adjacent to the southern Pamlico Sound and the Neuse River.
Ocean overwash is also a significant concern, mainly for areas north of Cape Hatteras. The NWS is already receiving reports of minor coastal flooding across portions of the area.
The N.C. Ferry Division tweeted at 1:17 p.m. today that ferry service between Hatteras and Ocracoke is suspended.
Ferries to and from Cedar Island and Swan Quarter have been suspended all day.
Gale warnings, wind advisories, coastal flood warnings and advisories continue.
Overwash on Ocracoke while Hurricane Teddy passed the coast in September caused dune breaches on Ocracoke and on Hatteras Island where Buxton is located. NCDOT photo.
Editor:
The NYT article in Sunday’s (March 14) paper, “Tiny Town, Big Decision: What Are We Willing to Pay to Fight the Rising Sea?” reminds us that if we don’t take real action against climate change it won’t be long before our coastlines are entirely gone, and with it towns like Avon and generations of history.
Over the past decade, our town (Avon), like so many other coastal towns, has experienced beach erosion, increased water levels, constant flooding, regular evacuations and human tragedy, all leading to nearing insurmountable damage. As the damage continues to get more acute each year, we are now frantically scrambling to find a solution before the only major road in and out of town is washed away in a major storm. Property tax hikes, beach restructurings, new tourist taxes, forced relocations away from the beach.
No disrespect but these conversations are just a waste of time coming up with band aids that will only waste millions of dollars and buy a tiny bit of time (just look next door at Buxton, whose multi-million dollar beach restructuring lasted a mere two years and has already completely washed away due to the effects of extreme hurricanes).
Carbon fee and dividend return is the cure for climate change! It’s a simple solution – charge a fee to those discharging carbon pollution into the atmosphere and return that money back to the most vulnerable households. Not a tax and not government regulation. Formulaically rising fees each year would encourage innovation and a market shift to a clean energy economy. Many leading economists and studies widely agree, carbon pricing would add millions of new jobs and decrease greenhouse gases by 90% by 2050.
So…no tax, no government interference, increased well-paying jobs, money in peoples’ pockets, a stronger economy and a position as a global leader in green energy. Sounds like a conversative win all around!
And this solution already exists as the bipartisan Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act that has bipartisan support. This is the only way to stop the destruction that climate change is causing. Take action now. Write to Senator Richard Burr, Senator Thom Tillis and Representative Greg Murphy and ask them to support this bill. They can help save our town!!
