S582 - North Carolina Farm Act of 2023. (SL 2023-63)

Overview: In 2021, the General Assembly directed the Department of Environmental Quality to develop a general permit for animal operations that includes authorization for the permittee to construct and operate a farm digester system.

Section 14 of S.L. 2023-63 amends the definition of "farm digester system" to clarify that "associated equipment" refers to "animal waste management equipment" and that collected gases must be used as a renewable energy resource as quickly as feasible, but within six months of the collection of the gases, and during that period the gas must be flared rather than vented.

This bill was vetoed by the Governor on June 23, 2023, and that veto was overridden by the General Assembly on June 27, 2023.

This section became effective June 27, 2023.