HB 345 — Rights of Nature / Certain River Basins
Status: Passed 1st Reading
Introduced: November 12, 2024
Subject areas: Environment; Water resources; Public health; Natural resource agencies; Rockingham & Stokes Counties; Haw River; Dan River
Main purpose
HB 345 (the "Rights of the Rivers Act") recognizes the Dan River and Haw River ecosystems as legal subjects with specified ecological rights and establishes a statutory framework directing state stewardship and protection of those river systems. The bill frames protection of these waters as tied to the health, safety, and welfare of North Carolina residents.
Key provisions
- Adds a new Article (Article 11) to Chapter 77 of the General Statutes titled the "Rights of the Rivers Act."
- Identifies the two protected ecosystems:
- Dan River ecosystem — the Dan River watershed (mainstem and tributaries and dependent species/ecosystems).
- Haw River ecosystem — the Haw River watershed (mainstem and tributaries and dependent species/ecosystems).
- Declares that the river ecosystems possess rights, explicitly including (the text lists these examples, not necessarily exhaustive):
- The right to naturally exist, flourish, regenerate, and evolve.
- The right to full restoration, recovery, and preservation.
- The right to abundant, pure, clean, unpolluted water, including natural surface-water flow, groundwater recharge, and recharge processes.
- Defines “natural resource management agencies” for purposes of the Article to include the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the Department of Environmental Quality, and the Wildlife Resources Commission.
- States the bill’s purpose emphasizing historical, cultural, public-health, and ecological rationales for protecting river systems (mentions Indigenous peoples, local economies, recreation, and concerns about pollution including PFAS).
Note: The available text excerpt provides the statutory placement, definitions, purposes, and enumerated rights. Additional implementation details (such as enforcement mechanisms, guardianship/standing, permitting impacts, remedies, or agency duties beyond the definitional assignment) are not included in the provided excerpt.
Who would be affected
- The Dan and Haw River ecosystems and the species and ecological processes they support.
- State natural resource agencies named in the bill (DNCR, DEQ, Wildlife Resources Commission) — likely in their planning, permitting, restoration, and regulatory roles.
- Municipalities, industries, developers, wastewater and stormwater permit holders, and others whose activities affect these waters.
- Local communities, tribes, landowners, conservation organizations and recreation users that rely on these rivers for water supply, food, recreation and economic activity.
Potential impacts
- Policy and regulatory decisions affecting the Dan and Haw Rivers may need to be assessed against the new statutory recognition of river "rights"; this could influence permitting, remediation priorities, restoration projects, and land‑use decisions in the watersheds.
- Could increase legal and administrative scrutiny of pollution sources and development actions in the two watersheds; may create new avenues for restoration-focused actions (depending on implementation and any enforcement provisions adopted later).
- Fiscal impacts are not specified in the excerpt; implementation costs (agency planning, monitoring, restoration) would depend on later direction and agency rulemaking or appropriations.
Procedural / timeline aspects
- Introduced Nov 12, 2024; reported in the 2025 session materials as “Rights of Nature/Certain River Basins.”
- Recorded status in the provided materials: Passed 1st Reading (March 11, 2025, per the edition cited).
- Next steps (typical): committee consideration and possible amendment, additional readings in the chamber, and if enacted, implementation by agencies named in the statute. The excerpt does not show an effective date.
Note on scope and sources
This summary is based on the excerpts of HB 345 provided, which include the bill’s short title, purpose language, statutory placement (Chapter 77, new Article), definitions, and an initial list of river rights. The full bill text may contain additional operative provisions (standing/enforcement, agency duties, exceptions, rulemaking authority, or effective date) that would materially affect implementation and legal effect. For decision‑making or legal interpretation, consult the full enrolled bill or subsequent committee reports and the final legislative text.
