AN ACT to appropriate funds for various land conservation and environmental Protection purposes in Western North Carolina.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

 

INVESTMENTS TO SUSTAIN VITAL PROGRAMS

SECTION 1.(a)  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services the sum of four million seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($4,750,000) in recurring funds for the 2021‑2022 fiscal year to be allocated for the following:

(1)        $4,000,000 for the Agriculture Cost Share Program established by G.S. 106‑850.

(2)        $500,000 for the Community Conservation Assistance Program created pursuant to Article 73 of Chapter 106 of the General Statutes.

(3)        $250,000 to the North Carolina Forest Service for field work, collaborative development, and infrastructure to support hemlock restoration programs.

SECTION 1.(b)  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Environmental Quality the sum of five hundred seventy thousand dollars ($570,000) in recurring funds for the 2021‑2022 fiscal year to be allocated to the following:

(1)        $370,000 for the continuation of four positions supporting the landslide mapping program.

(2)        $200,000 for the restart of the Waste Detection Elimination (WaDE) program, which identifies and remediates groundwater contamination caused by leaking septic tanks.

SECTION 1.(c)  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources the sum of ten million dollars ($10,000,000) in recurring funds for the 2021‑2022 fiscal year to be allocated to the Land and Water Fund to be used for conservation easements for protection of open spaces, viewsheds, and water quality in Western North Carolina. For purposes of this subsection, Western North Carolina refers to Cleveland, Burke, Caldwell, Wilkes, and Alleghany Counties and all counties of the State located to the west of those counties.

 

INVESTMENTS IN OUTDOOR RECREATION

SECTION 2.(a)  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund established in G.S. 143B‑135.56 the sum of eight hundred twenty‑five thousand dollars ($825,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2021‑2022 fiscal year to be allocated for the following projects:

(1)        $150,000 to Watauga County for the Watauga River Paddle Trail in Watauga County.

(2)        $200,000 to the Town of Bryson City for implementation of the existing river park plan developed by the Tuckasegee River Alliance in the area between and including Island Park and downtown Bryson City.

(3)        $125,000 to the Town of Andrews to provide funding for development of a new public access point for paddlers and paddle trail signage on the Valley River in Cherokee County.

(4)        $150,000 to the City of Shelby for development of a public fishing and boating access site on the First Broad River.

(5)        $200,000 to Blue Ridge Resource Conservation and Development for the development of a river access point and related stream restoration activities for the Creekwalk in the Town of Bakersville.

Notwithstanding G.S. 143B‑135.56, no match shall be required for the projects funded in this subsection.

SECTION 2.(b)  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Land and Water Fund established in Part 41 of Chapter 143B of the General Statutes the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2021‑2022 fiscal year to provide a grant to Blue Ridge Resource Conservation and Development as matching funds for the removal of the Ward's Mill Dam on the Watauga River in Watauga County.

SECTION 2.(c)  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Wildlife Resources Commission the sum of one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2021‑2022 fiscal year for improvements in public access to recreational areas on the Green River Game Lands in Henderson County. The Commission shall consult with the Green River Access Fund to implement the public access improvements.

SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2021.