NC H175

Authorizes cities with populations greater than 275,000 to designate urban empowerment zones in areas experiencing above-average unemployment, below-average household income, or above-average crime rates.

Directs the Department of Environmental Quality to prioritize restoration of creeks, streams, and wetlands in designated urban empowerment zones by partnering with environmental organizations and local government agencies.

Requires the Department to study air pollution issues from quarries and manufacturing activities in urban empowerment zones and recommend local ordinances or legislation to address identified problems.

Mandates the Department to convene an annual conference beginning no later than December 31, 2017, with state and local environmental organizations, elected officials, and federal EPA to develop comprehensive blueprints for improving air and water quality in empowerment zones.

Conference must address water quality improvement, water and sewer infrastructure replacement, quarry pollution and adaptive reuse, environmental impacts of recreational uses in floodplains, and review of progress toward previously set goals; annual conference requirement expires December 31, 2023.