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LETTERS / McCrory Administration Talks Environment in Statewide Jobs Tour

I recently attended a stop on the NC Competes for Jobs Tour at Appalachian State University in Boone with North Carolina Commerce Secretary John Skvarla. I was impressed by the large turnout of local elected officials, government staff,  local businesses and economic development partners who came to learn and ask questions about what North Carolina is doing under Governor Pat McCrory’s leadership to create jobs and attract businesses.

While most of the meeting was dedicated to the many programs the McCrory administration has enacted to connect job seekers with employers, I was there to talk about how the state is improving customer service to make it easier for businesses to operate and grow while still protecting the environment.

The McCrory administration is working with businesses and local government to help them achieve compliance with environmental rules and regulations. We are also making our permitting and inspection processes more efficient and user friendly. No company or employee wants to locate to a state with dirty air or dirty water. It is my goal to provide for economic opportunities while protecting the quality of life we value in North Carolina.

The state environmental department is also fighting federal overreach to keep energy prices low and prevent bureaucrats in Washington, DC from taking control of private property and farmland through costly, unnecessary regulation. We have successfully stopped federal takeover of the state’s electricity system and millions of acres of private property. Decisions about how to protect our resources should be made in North Carolina, not Washington, DC.

John Evans, Chief Deputy Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality