Billboard owners win a round in Senate

Motorists might have a better view of the billboards along North Carolina highways if the House and Gov. Mike Easley go along with legislation that cleared the state Senate on Monday night.

The legislation allows billboard owners to cut a wider, 375-foot swath of trees and shrubs in front of billboards. The current standard is 250 feet, and billboard owners have been seeking more open space so motorists have more time to see the advertising.

In exchange for the additional clearance, billboard owners agreed to heftier permit fees and harsher penalties for violators. The initial permit and renewal fees for billboards would increase by $30, with additional revenue going toward a fund for new trees.

Each tree cut or trimmed illegally would bring a $2,000 fine, up to a maximum of $30,000. First time violators would lose their permit for a year at that location, second time violators would see a five year ban, and third time violators would lose their permits permanently.

Environmental groups and the departments of transportation and environment and natural resources all opposed the bill. It comes at a time when the State Bureau of Investigation is looking into roughly 50 cases of illegal cutting around billboards since October. Replacing the removed vegetation would cost about $750,000.

The Senate voted 35-12 in favor of the legislation. Senate leader Marc Basnight, a Manteo Democrat, and several Triangle lawmakers voted against the bill. They are Democrats Bob Atwater of Chapel Hill, Janet Cowell of Raleigh, Ellie Kinnaird of Carrboro and Floyd McKissick of Durham, and Republican Neal Hunt of Raleigh.