Read the full article by Christine Zhu (NC Newsline)
“North Carolina lawmakers are proposing another study of ‘forever chemicals’ in the new state budget. However, the project would sidestep a state regulatory agency in favor of an agency under legislative control, and critics say it’s a stalling tactic.
Released Tuesday, the budget allocates a total of $22 million to the North Carolina Collaboratory at UNC-Chapel Hill for research related to PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances known as ‘forever chemicals.’ They don’t break down easily and have been linked to health risks like cancer.
The budget would also classify the staff of the Collaboratory as legislative employees, exempt from public records requests. Established by the General Assembly in 2016, the Collaboratory relies on direct funding from the legislature to operate.
In the past, such an analysis would have been conducted by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, and the results would be public record. But this new study would be confidential unless legislative leaders choose to release its results to the public.”…