Susan Fisher

This week I am foregoing my regular newsletter format in order to address the issue regarding the shortage of gasoline in Buncombe County.

We have been in contact with the Attorney General’s office and would like to ask that you also contact the Consumer Protection office if you have specific instances of price gouging by gasoline retailers.

Due to this situation being time-sensitive, it is best that you contact the Consumer Protection office by phone.

Consumer Protection Office:

9001 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-9001

Telephone: 919-716-6400

Fax: 919-716-6750

Tollfree: 1-877-5-NOSCAM

In the meantime, I have contacted the North Carolina Petroleum Marketers Association, Asheville Oil Company, and other gas distributors. The information we have received is that Hurricane Ike caused electrical damage to the oil refineries which were already compromised by the previous storm, Gustav. The pumps were damaged and the pipeline is not running at full capacity although it may be fully operational. The pipeline runs from Texas to a terminal in Spartanburg, S.C. and on up the east coast. It is fed by refineries in Virginia and New Jersey, but the pipeline only runs one way–up, not down, so Asheville’s gas supply comes from the refineries in the gulf.

The gasoline Asheville has received up to this point has come from inventoried reserves from the distributors and now, due to no deliveries since this past weekend, they must allocate and stretch supplies for contractual obligations and emergencies. They hope for a delivery by Friday of this week but until repairs are completed, people are being asked to not panic, and not to pump more gas than they need in order to provide for doctors, nurses, emergency rescue workers, etc., who, for obvious reasons, need transportation to work.

In regard to Asheville experiencing this shortage more acutely, it has been said that we, the people of Western North Carolina, are largely a fiercely independent group of people and this also applies to a large number of our oil retailers being independent. As I mentioned earlier in this newsletter, contractual obligations are filled first, so the independent distributors struggle harder to receive what is available when the times are lean such as we are experiencing now.

Please be assured that as a resident of Asheville I share your concerns, and as your House Representative I am doing everything possible to correct this situation by investigating all options available to alleviate this distress. If you have further questions, you may contact my office in Raleigh at (919) 715-2013 or by E-mailing me at susanf@ncleg.net.

Thank you for the understanding and patience you have shown during this difficult time.

The General Assembly returned to Raleigh on Wednesday, August 27, for a special session to consider a bill vetoed by Gov. Easley. The bill (H2167) would allow people to haul some boats without permits and to expand the times when the boats could be moved. After speaking with representatives from the State Highway Patrol and Department of Crime Control & Public Safety, I voted against the bill believing it to be in the best interest of safety for my constituents and all the citizens of North Carolina. In the end, both the House of Representatives and the Senate voted overwhelmingly to override the governor’s veto, clearing the way for the bill to become law. Gov. Easley is the first governor in state history to use the veto and he has vetoed nine bills while in office. This was the first time in state history the General Assembly has overridden a veto.

This week, I also wanted to share some information with you about how the General Assembly continues to work for the future of this state. Read the rest of this entry »

Our state’s community colleges are a vital link between education, business and government. They have been given a complex mission to provide high-school equivalency courses, worker training, technical education and college-level instruction. The leaders of our 58 institutions have handled their wide-ranging task with great skill and helped North Carolina create one of the foremost community college systems in the nation.

While I’ve been in Raleigh, I’ve been a strong supporter of the community college system and in my past term in office, my colleagues and I have worked to provide these schools with more of the resources they need. Their total state budget is now nearly $1 billion and this week I want to highlight some of the ways we’ve enhanced their programs. Read the rest of this entry »

Education remains one of the main priorities of government in North Carolina and this year, even as we faced challenges in our economy, the General Assembly continued its strong investment in public schools.

More than half of the state’s budget is spent on K-12 education, community colleges and public universities. Most of that money – $7.8 billion in this fiscal year – is spent on public schools. Our investment in this area pays off in a number of ways as more students graduate from high school and go to college and beyond.

This year, we expanded our investment in a new dropout prevention program and in the state’s acclaimed More at Four preschool program, created a teacher mentoring program and continued to look for ways to improve technology. I will explain some of these programs in a little more detail below. The list is not comprehensive, but should give you an idea of how we value education. Read the rest of this entry »

While our economy in North Carolina remains solid compared with much of the nation, parts of our state and some sectors of our industry have been challenged in recent months by financial pressures. The struggles of the mortgage industry have been particularly difficult for many people at risk of losing their homes.

This session, my colleagues and I made it a priority to help families make ends meet by protecting homeowners, expanding job opportunities and increasing incomes. This was an area of vital importance for everyone in this state and I’m pleased that we addressed these concerns in a number of ways. I have outlined some of the major initiatives in this newsletter and I know that we will return next session prepared to continue working to protect the economy and jobs of this state in whatever way we can. Read the rest of this entry »

Budget talks gained momentum this week as negotiators met during the weekend and for several hours each day to work toward a compromise. They have reached a general agreement on salaries and many other items already and continue to work toward a quick resolution. They plan to have the final deal ready soon.

While these talks continue, the House has continued to work on issues important to the people in our communities, such as annexation, health and education. We will continue to work on these vital matters as we wrap up this session and I look forward to returning home full-time soon.

In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me. I would be pleased to assist you in any way.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Senate approved its version of the state budget on Thursday, clearing the way for negotiations on a final version to begin. Like the House, the Senate budget focuses on education, health care and bolstering the state’s economy.

Both plans offer pay raises of 3 percent for teachers and 2.75 percent or $1,100, whichever is greater, for state employees. Both proposals also set aside $50 million for tax credits, but differ in how the money would be used. Negotiators from each chamber will be appointed soon and discussions to work out the differences are expected to begin soon. Each chamber will have to approve the compromise before sending it to Gov. Mike Easley for his approval.

We continue to work on important changes in our laws that will make our communities and our children safer. The House passed several of those changes this week and I will share more information about them with you. If you would like information about anything else or if I can be of help to you, please let me know. Thank you as always for your interest in state government.

Read the rest of this entry »

June 18, 2008

Dear Rep. Fisher,

I am writing to thank you for being a champion for the environment in the 2007 Long Session. Last year, we tracked ten critical environmental votes—on issues ranging from clean, renewable energy to wildlife conservation to cutting pollution from school buses. On each of these issues, you cast your vote to protect the environment, even when powerful special interests were advocating otherwise.

This summer, we are distributing scorecards to 40,000 households across the state as a part of our door-to-door campaign to build support for global warming pollution limits for new cars and trucks. You can also view our online, interactive scorecard by clicking on this link:

http://www.environmentnorthcarolina.org/legislative-scorecard

As the short session begins its final weeks, we look forward to working with you to defend new coastal stormwater rules, encourage water conservation, and take the first step towards enacting global warming pollution standards for cars, trucks, and SUV’s. For a reminder of our other legislative priorities, you can click on this link:

http://www.environmentnorthcarolina.org/legislature/legislative-agenda

Thanks for standing up for the environment when it needed you most.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Ouzts, State Director

Now that the House of Representatives has sent its budget proposal to the Senate, my colleagues and I have been considering other policy matters, both in our committees and on the House floor.

This week, we addressed issues of public safety, health, transportation and local governance, among other matters.

The Senate is expected to complete its proposed budget soon and then a conference committee comprised of members of both chambers will negotiate a final proposal to present to the governor.

As always, if you have any questions about these matters, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your interest in state government and the opportunity to represent you.

Public Safety

Prisoners who are disabled or terminally ill would be released from custody under legislation Gov. Easley signed into law this week. The new law (S1480) requires the inmates to have an appropriate health care plan in place before their release is granted. The change is expected to save the state thousands of dollars in health care costs and free up as many as 160 additional beds in the state prison system. The state spends an average of $87,000 a year to care for such patients, according to state correction officials. Inmates convicted of the most serious crimes, such as murder and rape, would not be eligible for release and those who regain their heath would have to return to prison.

Read the rest of this entry »

This week, I will share with you some of my goals for this session along with the House approved proposed budget that gives financial support to those goals. I apologize in advance for the length of this letter, but as always, take what you need from it and leave what you don’t.

Helping Families Make Ends Meet

These days everyone is feeling the pinch of a tight economy. North Carolina is faring better than many other states because of our sound fiscal policies and we remain one of the few states in the nation without budget problems this year. Still, many people in this state need financial relief and we intend to provide it.

Last year, we worked hard to establish an Earned Income Tax Credit that is expected to benefit about 800,000 people who make about $40,000 or less. This session, we plan to increase that credit. Read the rest of this entry »