economic development
Siler City wastewater treatment plant racks up more fines, files for Special Order by Consent
The NC Department of Environmental Quality has fined the Siler City wastewater treatment plant another $36,000 related to Clean Water Act violations the facility incurred in March, according to state documents, bringing the total to $154,000 in penalties over the past two years. As Policy Watch reported last month, the town’s wastewater treatment plant is […]
Dem control of Virginia government, progressive policies bad for business? Not.
The oft-propagated notion (at least by those on the political right) that progressive policies are somehow bad for business and economic development received another thorough debunking last week in a new national assessment from CNBC. This is from a story by reporters Graham Moomaw and Ned Oliver of the Virginia Mercury entitled “Virginia Republicans have […]
Monday numbers: A look at how the Senate’s and the Governor’s budgets compare in some key areas
Legislators spent last week deep in numbers as the Senate Republicans released their budget proposal, which the full Senate approved on Friday. The measure now heads to the state House, where significant revisions are expected. The two chambers will then create a compromise budget sometime this summer that will go to Gov. Roy Cooper.
Monday numbers: A closer look at the state Senate’s deeply flawed “economic relief” proposal
Republicans in the state Senate recently advanced a rewrite of House Bill 334 – a bill which bears the nondescript title “JOBS Grants and Tax Relief.” The new version of the bill has been promoted by its proponents as an “economic relief” measure that will aid businesses still struggling in the wake of the COVID-19 recession and help further stimulate the state’s economy.
Editorial busts Berger’s mythmaking about Apple’s decision to come to NC
Be sure to check out this morning’s Capitol Broadcasting Company editorial on WRAL.com, which delves into the real and imagined reasons that Apple Computer selected the Triangle for its big new campus. As is explained in “Why did Apple pick N.C.? Investments, not tax cuts,” the truth isn’t what state Senate President Pro Tem Phil […]
Apple to bring $1 billion investment, 3,000 jobs to the Tar Heel state
Governor Roy Cooper, Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, Senator Dan Blue, Speaker Tim Moore and Rep. Robert Reives issued a joint statement this morning after Apple announced its decision to build a new $1 billion campus in Wake County, hiring 3,000 employees: “Innovation has long been North Carolina’s calling card and Apple’s decision […]
Budget & Tax Center: Another cut for big business that will reduce revenue for schools, communities
N.C. Senate finance leaders are moving a tax cut bill for businesses with high net worth this week, even as the legislature has failed to put forward a comprehensive investment plan addressing the priorities of communities across the state. That’s right. There is no final, comprehensive budget for our communities, but legislative leaders in the […]
Report, editorial: McCrory’s economic development partnership has been a failure
Be sure to check out this morning’s Capitol Broadcasting Company editorial on WRAL.com. In it, the authors shine a light on a new report from the General Assembly’s Program Evaluation Division showing that former Gov. Pat McCrory’s Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina has been a failure and needs to go. This is from the […]
Editorial rightfully derides NC’s on-the-cheap state government
As the 2019 General Assembly prepares to get underway, state lawmakers would do well to read and heed the latest Capitol Broadcasting Company editorial on WRAL.com, “Quality is sacrificed with bargain basement government.” Here are some highlights: When it comes to excellence, North Carolina seems satisfied with achieving unparalleled mediocrity. Why work to be the […]
NC loses an important voice for economic justice, shared prosperity
Veteran researcher and advocate Bill Schweke, whose essays regularly graced the virtual pages of NC Policy Watch — even when he was struggling mightily with serious health challenges — passed away last week after a lengthy and courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease. The good folks at Prosperity Now (formerly CFED), where Bill long worked, released […]
National think tank: Why Raleigh should be among top five Amazon finalists
There are lots of legitimate concerns about Raleigh’s efforts to woo a massive new 50,000 employee Amazon headquarters — the city and state’s already stretched and under-resourced infrastructure, the threat of more urban sprawl, and the costly incentives package that’s apparently being offered by state and local officials, to name three. That said, it would […]
Significant new job announcement from Cooper targets hard hit county
If there’s anything that North Carolina governors of both political parties love to churn out, it’s announcements of new business openings and expansions. During the tenure of Pat McCrory, there were times when the governor’s office would issue press releases with respect to essentially any new business his staff could identify — even those that […]