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NEWPORT, N.C. -- A small, but passionate group of protestors were on hand in Raleigh Tuesday to speak out on a proposal that would disregard a scientific report which suggests North Carolina's coast could rise by several feet in the next 100 years.

“It's an attempt to have our leaders ignore evidence, ignore reality. And I haven't heard anything stupider than that in a heck of a long time,” said protester Nancy Sharp.

The group was at the legislative building to present representative Pat McElraft of Carteret County with three thousand petitions against the bill.

“We have to question who our legislature is working for when we see bills like house bill 819, which would throw out the best available climate science,” said another concerned citizen, Jennifer Marienau.

Specifically, the group said that this bill helps coastal developers who want to build close to the current sea level line and is short sighted because if the level rises the development could ultimately be under water.

“Developers don't have anymore influence and than constituent that I have,” said representative McElraft.

McElraft denies these charges but she and other lawmakers have been getting an earful about their proposal. The bill was given national attention when the Colbert Report mocked the bill..

But lawmakers say this isn't about pushing science aside.

“In 1974 the alarmists were talking about the Ice Age coming again. What has happened? Has anyone seen the Ice Age? I don't think so.What we need to do is make sure that we don't make unwise decisions that even the science panel agreed they had not done enough study on,” McElraft said.

The House and Senate did not agree at first how to do this. A conference report is expected to say more study is needed as projections of sea level are made in the future.