Air

For the first time since 1991, we increased the penalty for air quality violations from $10,000 to $25,000. This increase puts North Carolina in line with other Southern states and moves us closer to the federal maximum fine for air quality violations of $32,500. In a separate matter, we set aside $500,000 to install pollution controls on diesel-powered school buses. That will allow us to access matching federal funds to cut back on emissions harmful to school children and bus drivers.