Source: Gary D. Robertson, WRAL, 5/4/21

 The North Carolina General Assembly began moving its annual farm bill Tuesday, with a Senate committee voting for legislation that in part would create a more streamlined permit for turning hog waste into energy. Like previous years, the measure contained a hodgepodge of changes, such as exempting fires for cooking and warmth from certain open-burn bans, increasing punishments for stealing timber and clarifying compensation rules for state Forest Service firefighters.

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