Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina has retained Southern Strategy Group as its lobbyist for the 2015 legislative session. “We are pleased to have Kristen and Scott Laster from Southern Strategy Group of North Carolina lead our advocacy efforts this year,” CCA NC Executive Director David Sneed said Monday. “Kristen and Scott were instrumental in our legislative success during the short session this past summer. They came on board on short notice and were a big part of the inclusion of several key provisions in the Budget Bill including JEA.” The Laster team is part of a regional lobbying firm with affiliates in seven southern states, he said.
Both Scott and Kirsten Laster bring extensive experience to the organization. Scott began his work in North Carolina as the N.C. House campaign director for the North Carolina Republican Party and led the caucus to an historic victory in 2010 that saw Republicans claim a majority in the House for the second time in history. Following that success, Scott was chosen executive director for the NCGOPto lead the charge for the 2012 elections. Kristen Laster began her lobbying career in Tallahassee, Florida, effectively representing a number of clients before the legislative and executive branches of Florida government.
CCA NC Government Relations Chairman Keith Johnson said this year the conservation organization will promote “science-based fisheries management” that studies the impact of gill nets and inshore shrimp trawling by ocean-class vessels that produce an unsustainable amount of finfish by-catch. “Both of these practices have been eliminated or severely curtailed in virtually every other southeastern state except North Carolina,” Johnson said.
“We have already begun a campaign to educate the public about the consequences of these destructive practices on finfish and other marine life,” he continued. CCA NC will devote significant resources to an on-going campaign to “Save NC Sounds,” which will focus on the removal of gill nets from our inshore waters and the reduction of inshore shrimp trawl by-catch.