A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to clarify funding of certain water resources projects UNDER THE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PROGRAM AND TO EXEMPT CERTAIN DREDGING PROJECTS FOR FERRY CHANNELS FROM SHALLOW DRAFT NAVIGATION CHANNEL DREDGING AND AQUATIC WEED FUND COST‑SHARE REQUIREMENTS.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Subsection 11(f) of S.L. 2020‑79 reads as rewritten:
"SECTION 11.(f)  Maximum Share. – Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, funds appropriated for a water resources development project shall be used to provide no more than fifty percent (50%) of the nonfederal portion of funds for the project. This subsection applies to funds appropriated in this act and to funds appropriated prior to the 2019‑2021 fiscal biennium that are unencumbered and proposed for reallocation to provide the nonfederal portion of funds for water resources development projects. The limitation on fund usage contained in this subsection applies only to projects in which a local government or local governments participate. This subsection shall not apply to, and there shall be no local match required for, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Furthermore, Section 36.3(e) of S.L. 2013‑360, Section 36.2(e) of S.L. 2014‑100, and Section 31.3(e) of S.L. 2015‑241 shall not apply to funds made available as part of EQIP in any fiscal year, including prior years. For purposes of this subsection, a single project shall consist of all the landowners and other participants under a project design contract approved by the Natural Resource Conservation Service under the EQIP program along a contiguous stretch of stream."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 143‑215.73F is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
"(c1)	Cost‑Share Exemption for DOT Ferry Channel Projects. – Notwithstanding the cost‑share requirements of subsection (c) of this section, no cost‑share shall be required for dredging projects for a ferry channel maintained by the North Carolina Department of Transportation."
SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.