Noise Pollution Ordinance – Chapel Hill, NC

The Noise Control Code for Chapel Hill sets maximum permitted sound levels for certain times and days of the week. As of March 2011, the town has a table of sound limits for various locations.  For residential settings, acceptablenoise level during the day is set at 50 decibels (about the volume of conversational speech heard from a foot away), and 45 decibels at night(the equivalent of the noise in an average office). While many cities have noise caps, Chapel Hill’s code is stringent enough that it will actually restrict noise. The code also enacts a range of specific noise-making prohibitions and exceptions, establishes permits to exceed limits, and stipulates penalties for violations. … Read More

Groundwater Protection – IA

With passage of the 1987 Groundwater Protection Act (House File 631), Iowa articulated a comprehensive policy regarding groundwater contamination. The Act established a scheme to raise revenue in three ways: pesticide manufacturing registration fees, pesticide dealer licensing fees, and fertilizer taxes. Among other provisions, retailers of nitrogen-based fertilizers must pay an additional $.75 per ton sold based on an 82 percent solution and prorated for different solutions.… Read More

Groundwater Protection – MN

This 1989 law prohibited the use of once-through water systems in the Twin Cities after 2010, and immediately raised the price of using once-through water 200-fold for commercial users and 50-fold for non-profits and schools. The Act, administered by the Division of Waters of the Department of Natural Resources, requires that a conversion plan be submitted by users by Jan 1992. The once-through systems must be converted within the design life of the equipment based on the ASHRAE service life for primary system components.… Read More

Land Gains Tax – Vermont

The state of Vermont uses a Land Gains Tax to protect rural land from short-term speculation. First effective in 1973, the tax imposes very high taxes on sales of land held a short time and sold for a large profit.

The land gains tax is imposed on the gain from the sale or exchange of Vermont land that was held less than six years, and the land is not part of the first ten acres beneath or contiguous to the seller’s principal residence.

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Closing State Corporate Tax Loopholes: Throwback Rules

Changes in state tax formulas, often made at the behest of big business lobbyists, have led to a sharp increase in the amount of "nowhere" income — corporate profits that are not taxable in any state.  Throwback rules are a simple means of eliminating nowhere income and ensuring a fair playing field for local businesses that cannot convert profits into tax-free "nowhere" income. … Read More

Formula Business Restrictions

To prevent and mitigate the problems that come with an influx of chain stores, some cities and towns have adopted ordinances that prohibit formula businesses, cap their total number, or require that they meet certain conditions to open.… Read More

Campaign Finance Reform – Buckley v. Valeo

The US Supreme Court’s 1976 decision in Buckley v. Valeo constitutes a central obstacle to effective campaign finace reform. The ruling does this in two ways: First, equating money with speech, the decision prohibited governments from imposing spending limits on candidates.… Read More

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