NC Lawmakers Rejected Bills To Mitigate Storm Risks

The New York Times reports:

Over the past 15 years, North Carolina lawmakers have rejected limits on construction on steep slopes, which might have reduced the number of homes lost to landslides; blocked a rule requiring homes to be elevated above the height of an expected flood; weakened protections for wetlands, increasing the risk of dangerous storm water runoff; and slowed the adoption of updated building codes, making it harder for the state to qualify for federal climate-resilience grants.

Those decisions reflect the influence of North Carolina’s home building industry, which has consistently fought rules forcing its members to construct homes to higher, more expensive standards, according to Kim Wooten, an engineer who serves on the North Carolina Building Code Council, the group that sets home building requirements for the state.

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Rightwing lawmakers in North Carolina had the opportunity to protect against the worst of the devastation from hurricane Helene. Instead, they sided with special interests. THIS is why our work to break the rightwing supermajority there is so important. https://t.co/ik7rxcNkX8

— The States Project (@StatesProjectUS) October 3, 2024