And the winner is...

Senate Leader Phil Berger bestows the Oxmeter for the first time in the 2011 session. Who was the, um, "honoree"?

Posted 9:41 p.m. Mar 11, 2011 — Updated 9:41 p.m. Mar 11, 2011

Laura Leslie

You may remember the Oxmeter, the "award" bestowed by the Senate on members for bloviation, obfuscation, or just generally carrying on too long, especially on a bill there isn't much debate over.

Senate Leader Phil Berger handed it out for the first time this session. The winner: Senate Majority Leader Harry Brown, R-Onslow.

Brown was the sponsor of S110, "Permit Terminal Groins."

Terminal groins are kind of like jetties - "hardened structures" that protect inlets. They're banned in NC for environmental reasons, but Brown's measure would allow them in limited cases. It passed easily.

Berger said it was a "difficult decision" for the Oxmeter Committee.

"After hearing Senator Stevens [on the Red Route bill] today, we felt like maybe his performance actually outdid Senator Brown's," Berger told the Senate. "But the title of his bill actually won the day."

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