DROUGHT PLAN: A legislative environmental panel backed Gov. Mike Easley's plan to help North Carolina better respond to droughts. But some members of the Environmental Management Commission suggested the proposal needs some work. The proposal would give governors more authority to act quickly in a drought, including the ability to order a water system to provide water to a nearby community. Rep. Pryor Gibson, an Anson Democrat and a commission co-chairman, said he's concerned that many outside groups, including farmers, haven't had much say yet on the proposal. Mitch Peele, the N.C. Farm Bureau's senior public policy director, said the plan would be burdensome on farmers who would have to report water use above a lower threshold. But Peele said the group likes a proposed change under which water used to bathe or wash dishes could now be recycled to water flowers and trees. The commission's approval only means the proposal can be turned into a bill that can be considered this legislative session.

PLASTIC BAGS: Rep. Pricey Harrison plans to file a bill that would expand recycling by requiring retailers with at least 10,000 square feet of shopping space statewide to begin a bag collection program. Harrison, D-Guilford, said that she had hoped to push a complete ban of the bags but that wasn't feasible during the short session. Some environmentalists say the lightweight plastic bags are trashing trees or entering waterways, where they can be eaten by turtles or other creatures. Andy Ellen with the N.C. Retail Merchants Association said grocery stores already have voluntary recycling programs. Mandating them, he said, would add costs that could be passed on to consumers.

ANNEXATION PAUSE: A House committee that examined annexation laws for months agreed to recommend to colleagues a one-year ban on involuntary annexations. The moratorium would forbid towns and cities from annexing unincorporated areas through June 30, 2009. Rep. Bruce Goforth, D-Buncombe, co-chairman of the House Select Committee on Municipal Annexation, said the panel would use that time to review state law and propose changes. North Carolina doesn't require a referendum by the people being annexed before such an action can take place. The committee held public hearings this year in which residents complained that they were forced to pay higher taxes and fees for services they never received. The moratorium still needs the approval of the full House and Senate before being sent to Gov. Mike Easley's desk.

COOPER COMMENT: Attorney General Roy Cooper is worried about proposals in Gov. Mike Easley's budget proposal that he said would make it more difficult to fight crime. Cooper spoke to the joint House-Senate appropriations subcommittee on justice and public safety. He urged legislators not to reduce money for equipment at the State Bureau of Investigation lab by $100,000, as Easley's budget recommends. In a news release, Cooper said extra cuts sought by lawmakers would make it harder to analyze evidence quickly to solve crimes.

ON THE AGENDA

TODAY: A conservation coalition of local governments and historic and ecological groups plan a morning news conference to push for state funding this year to protect stream buffers, watersheds and other sensitive areas. Land for Tomorrow also will announce how trust money for land conservation provided last year by the General Assembly have been used.

OVERHEARD

"We're almost required by the oath of our office to do something on drought this time."

-- Rep. Pryor Gibson, D-Anson