RALEIGH – The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality plans to hold Tuesday in Duplin County the first of two meetings on three general permits for livestock operations, and a coastal environmental group is offering free bus travel to attend.
The three permits are the Swine General Permit, the Cattle General Permit and the Wet Poultry General Permit. DEQ said nearly all North Carolina swine farms, as well as wet poultry and cattle, are subject to the requirements of their respective state general permits. The department is seeking public comments during a 30-day period that expires March 4 to inform the final permit language.
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The Wilmington-based Cape Fear River Watch said it will be chartering a bus to help residents get to the meeting. The bus is set to depart at 4 p.m. Tuesday from the Kohl’s parking lot at 228 Old Eastwood Road and return at 10 p.m. Those wishing to ride can reserve their seat at no charge.
Registration for the meeting is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. at James Sprunt Community College in Kenansville, with the meeting starting at 6 p.m.
A second meeting is at 6 p.m. Feb. 26 at Statesville Civic Center in Statesville.
Public comments may be submitted several ways, including at the meetings and via email or postal mail. Submit comments via email at the following addresses:
- Swine General Permit: SwinePermit.Comments@ncdenr.gov
- Wet Poultry Permit: WetPoultryPermit.Comments@ncdenr.gov
- Cattle Permit: CattlePermit.Comments@ncdenr.gov
Submit comments by mail to Animal Feeding Operations, N.C. Division of Water Resources, 1636 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1636.
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The draft permits, examples of annual reports and related fact sheets and information are available for review at the DEQ website.
