RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Gov. Roy Cooper has vetoed legislation that directed North Carolina regulators to approve spraying liquid collected under landfills into the air, saying it puts specific technology above possibly better options for health and safety.
The measure would make the Department of Environmental Quality approve a process called “aerosolization” for unclean wastewater collected within lined landfills. Regulatory approval would be optional for unlined landfills.
Cooper said in a news release Friday that the bill “mandates a technology winner” and legislators should leave the decision-making on the best protections to scientists.
The veto is Cooper’s sixth. The Republican-controlled legislature has overridden the previous five.
The Democratic governor also signed five other bills, including one that lets local governments pass ordinances to allow the sale of alcohol starting at 10 a.m. on Sundays, instead of noon.
