Legislators have yet to publicly debate water conservation.

Just months after the worst recorded drought in state history, state lawmakers have not yet discussed some of Gov. Mike Easley's proposed solutions, including giving the state a greater role in local conservation efforts.

Cities, towns and farm interests have protested some of the measures, while private companies have asked for change.

Rep. Lucy Allen, a Democratic cochairwoman of the House committee handling the bill, tamped down expectations for major changes this year. She said some parts of the legislation will be addressed in a study of the state's water resources due by 2010.

"I don't know how much we can accomplish," she said, other than to "identify what can be the low-hanging fruit first."

Environmentalists worry that if action isn't taken when memories of the drought are fresh, it may never be taken at all. (N&O) 

Sen. Janet Cowell is seeking nearly $76 million in state spending.

The Democratic nominee for state treasurer has sponsored one bill and co-sponsored 24 bills seeking appropriations in the upcoming state budget.

Cowell is the primary sponsor on a bill to give $2.1 million to the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences for an environmental education facility at the Prairie Ridge Ecostation.

Among the larger appropriations bills she is cosponsoring: $25 million for a school construction pilot program, $6 million for the Communities in Schools programs on dropout prevention, $5.8 million for the Center for Bioenergy Technologies, $5.6 million for the N.C. Museum of Art, $5.6 million for dropout prevention, $5 million for a strategic plan on biofuels, $5 million for public libraries.

Other large appropriations she is cosponsoring: $4 million for a statewide study on aging, $2 million for the N.C. Arts Council, $1.6 million for a pilot program on dropout prevention in Durham and Vance counties, $1.5 million for a pilot program on adult protective services, $1.4 million for water resource management, $1.2 million for teen pregnancy prevention and $1.2 million for Wake Tech Community College.

She is also cosponsoring bills less than $1 million: Support for caregivers of people with dementia, a statewide literacy program, Kids Voting, treatment of autistic children, services for the developmentally disabled, a legal mediation network, a youth golfing program and the African-American Heritage Commission.

In addition, she is cosponsoring a bill that would give state employees a 7 percent raise.

Update: Her Republican opponent, Rep. Bill Daughtridge, is seeking $19 million in spending.

Bob Orr said the state wasn't ready for the drought.

"The biggest failure in the current administration was there was no, that I could perceive, any real planning plan to deal with an upcoming drought," said Orr, a former Supreme Court justice running for governor as a Republican.

Orr said the state is facing incredible growth and the next governor has to make serious changes to ensure there is enough water to fill the state's needs. Orr suggested creating regional commissions based on the state's water basins. Those commissions would help develop policy for the future.

Orr said the state could help reduce demand by changing water pricing structures and being more careful about economic development efforts. As he often does, Orr cited the Google server farm in Caldwell County that will use large amounts of water to cool equipment.

Orr said the state has a role in helping water systems get connected to each other. The governor has a role in urging water systems, counties, cities and towns to overcome their self-interests to make decisions that are good for the state.

Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue just bought a new, energy efficient washing machine. She would have bought it sooner if the state had offered a tax rebate or tax-free day for energy efficient appliances.

Perdue, a Democrat, is pitching a sales tax holiday for products that use less water. As governor, she would also help local governments find ways to be water efficient and she would push for tiered pricing.

If she were elected, one of the first things she would do is take stock of how well water systems are interconnected.

She would also push to make water bills more transparent and easy to read so customers know how much water they are using and whether they are using more or less from month to month.

To encourage all users to be efficient, Perdue would push for tiered pricing, but she would also find incentives for large customers who are having success with conservation.

To get customers to use less water, Perdue said she would support a paid media campaign.

And for the record, Perdue said she bought a hybrid car, too.

At a forum today, four candidates for governor are scheduled to talk water and the environment.

The event, "The Future of the Water in North Carolina" is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. at the Griffith Film Theater in the Bryan Student Center on Duke’s main campus.

Candidates were given questions about water and the drought in advance and they will have about 40 minutes to talk and answer the questions. The candidates will appear one at a time and there will be no back-and-forth, something the event organizers wanted to do to allow more time to talk issues and because of some logistical concerns (the theater has no backstage, for example).

Libertarian Mike Munger is up first. State Treasurer Richard Moore and Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue — both Democrats — are next. Republican Bob Orr is last.

Dome is planning to cover the event live.

North Carolina will spend $740,000 to run a water line to four homes.

The homes, along the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway in Sylva, have had their well water supply contaminated by benzene, a cancer-causing chemical.

To fix the project, the state will run a two-mile water line to the homes, spending the entire $300,000 that state lawmakers put in the 2006 budget to fix contaminated water systems.

Rep. Pricey Harrison, who fought for the special fund, said she is alarmed at the amount of money bieng spent to help so few people. 

"I don't know that it was a real wise use of those funds," she said. "I think we could have helped more by providing notification and testing for hundreds of citizens with that money." (N&O)

Dan Besse says the lieutenant governor has an important job.

In a live-blog on the liberal BlueNC site, the candidate for the Democratic nomination said that the job comes with certain legislative and executive powers that can be "used judiciously" to alter the debate.

As a independently elected, statewide official, the lg has the "bully pulpit" potential to a degree above most others. If special interests have an important proposal (such as expansion of children's health care coverage) bottled up in committee; or are pushing a bad proposal (such as ratepayer subsidy for excess power plant construction) through the process too quickly for full consideration; the lg can step outside the quiet negotiations and call in the media.

On the issues, he said he opposes the lottery but supports efforts to redirect revenue toward different educational programs.

He also said he would use the Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission to fight obesity and smoking; provide more Internet streaming of the legislature, do more to protect water quality and would work to fix the mental health system.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, a Salisbury Republican, co-sponsored Democratic legislation this week that would require the federal government to limit levels of a harmful chemical sometimes found in drinking water – including in the wells of Camp Lejeune.

The bill, introduced Wednesday by Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, aims to protect residents from trichloroethylene, commonly known as TCE, reports Barb Barrett. The chemical is found in paint, adhesives, spot removers and solvents used to clean metal parts.

The chemical was present in drinking water at Camp Lejeune wells from the 1950s until the 1980s. The problems of Camp Lejeune’s water have been known, but Congress has been re-visiting the issue in hearings this summer.

Other senators co-sponsoring the bill include Sens. Barbara Boxer of California, John Kerry of Massachusetts and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey.

Correction: An earlier post listed the wrong state for Kerry.

Read more after the jump.

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