""This bill has made us the laughingstock of the country," said Senate Minority Leader Martin Nesbitt, D-Buncombe. "We've been on Stephen Colbert's comedy show.""
6/13/12, "North Carolina Senate Passes Anti-Nutcase Bill – AP Immediately Lies About It," Steven Goddard
6/12/12, "N.C. Senate approves sea level calculation bill," AP. Allen Reed
"The North Carolina Senate has approved a bill that ignores scientists' warnings of rising sea levels.
Senators approved the bill on a 34-to-11 vote Tuesday. The measure received little fanfare and no senators spoke in opposition to the measure. The bill now goes back to the House for a vote.
HB 819 says that only the N.C. Coastal Resources Commission can calculate how fast the sea is rising for state governmental purposes and those calculations must be based on historic trends, which are much lower than the science panel’s projections.
A state-appointed science panel* warned sea levels could rise by more than three feet by 2100 and threaten more than 2,000 square miles of coastal land.
The coastal development group NC-20 disputes the scientists' findings and says the state should prepare for an eight-inch increase instead. The developers say stricter regulations would harm the coastal economy.
Sen. David Rouzer, R-Johnston County, who spoke on behalf of the bill, shared many of those concerns. He brought a prop for the Senate deliberations, a 1977 Time magazine cover featuring a penguin and warning of an upcoming ice age. Rouzer warned of overregulation."...
The bill has thrust the legislature into the national spotlight and was recently mocked by comedian Stephen Colbert. Rouzer said previously he was aware of, but didn't watch, Colbert's show. Still, the national attention has permeated part of the Senate chamber.
"This bill has made us the laughingstock of the country," said Senate Minority Leader Martin Nesbitt, D-Buncombe. "We've been on Stephen Colbert's comedy show."
Nesbit was one of the 11 senators who voted against the bill. He said the legislature should heed the scientists' warnings."...
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Steve Goddard comment: "The IPCC forecast range is 7-24 inches of sea level rise. The 3 foot+ forecasts are from a few fringe lunatics who lack basic mathematics and science skills. Kudos to North Carolina for standing up and fighting back."
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*Ed. note: Sea level legislation shouldn't be influenced by fear of ridicule on left wing comedy shows though Alinsky identified ridicule as "man's most potent weapon."
Per commenter below, the "state appointed science panel" AP refers to apparently was a democrat panel from a previous administration. Second commenter asks what AP means by "state appointed science panel":
Commenter to AP article:
"Historical data doesn't agree with "accepted" science?
The problem is that the State appointed panel (appointed during the Democrats as a majority) favored by the Minority Leader (D) says the rate of sea level rise will be about a meter by the end of the century. That obviously ignores historical data and trend analysis.
The proof is what is in front of us - the Minority Leader, a Democrat, representing his party's position has chosen to ignore historical data and trend analysis.
If you can explain the rational for a Democrat appointed panel chose to ignore the United Nations climate commission that used historical data, then you get to show which "party" has deliberately chose to ignore data to make a "new" calculation."
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2nd among comments to AP article:
Appointed by whom?
Who is on it? What are their qualifications?
Where are their calculations archived so they can be checked?
"A Science Panel" is meaningless.
I could assemble 'a science panel' to declare evolution a myth in a day."
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Commenter to post at Steven Goddard website cites a study that may have been used in the past by North Carolina personnel and what he sees as its problems:
"Will Nitschke says:
"The term “semiempirical modeling” is used, which is a code word for throwing out anything empirical and speculating wildly using a model. The basis of the claim that sea level rise is taking a hockey stick shape is based on:
(a) a proxy reconstruction that they admit is inconsistent with the same proxy when applied elsewhere)
(b) one tide gauge (this apparently covers the entire planet and is the empirical bit)
On top of all that Mann lends a hand to make sure they get their maths right. 
Junk science at it’s best:
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2011/06/13/1015619108.abstract"
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11/1/2010, "EDITORIAL: Keeping fear of the left alive," Washington Times
"The pep rally led by left-wing cheerleaders Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert proved once again that liberals don’t understand that the American majority has rejected the big-government philosophy.
Disguised as just good fun amid the backdrop of the nation’s capital, the real purpose of the Rally to Restore Sanity/Keep Fear Alive as to heap ridicule upon the millions of concerned Americans rising up to oppose the out-of-control liberalism of President Obama and his Democratic fellow travelers in Congress.
Saul Alinsky, the radical agitator and community organizer who inspired Mr. Obama’s career, wrote, “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.” When the votes are counted tonight, Alinsky - wherever he is - will be disappointed. Mr. Stewart and Mr. Colbert - Comedy Central’s faux news anchors - exposed what’s already obvious: The contrarian left wing in American politics is always eager to mock the center-right stance of the majority, but that’s hardly a formula for electoral success."...--------------------------------------------------
"What every public official should know about Saul Alinsky's: Rules For Radicals"
via Tom Nelson
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2011/06/13/1015619108.abstract