Both the House and Senate are set this week to consider bills that advanced before last week’s crossover deadline, including a number of controversial environmental measures.
Archives
BOEM Opens Virtual Archaeology Museum
BOEM’s Virtual Archaeology Museum displays video, detailed 3D models and mosaic maps of shipwrecks from the 19th and 20th centuries, including the Blake Ridge Wreck off of the N.C. coast.
Plymouth Set to Celebrate Black Bears
The N.C. Black Bear Festival, set for May 31-June 2, honors the hefty creature so abundant in the state’s northeast and commemorates National Black Bear Day with bear-themed fun.
Public May Comment on Seismic Plan Review
The Division of Coastal Management is accepting comments related to an application to do seismic testing off the N.C. coast as questions about the firm’s plans remain unanswered.
DEQ to Test New Hanover Wells for PFAS
The state plans to begin testing groundwater from monitoring wells in New Hanover County after learning PFAS compounds were detected in six of 25 wells that provide water to a Cape Fear Public Utility Authority plant.
State Gets Grant to Buy Meter Point Tract
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant will allow the state Division of Coastal Management to add more than 35 acres on Little Colington Island to the Kitty Hawk Woods Coastal Reserve.
Regan, Mayors Tout Unity Against Drilling
Area mayors and the state’s environmental secretary during a gathering Wednesday in Manteo emphasized the power of united opposition to protect the N.C. coast from offshore drilling’s risks.
House Budget Funds Recovery, Resilience
The House’s version of the state budget includes new spending on disaster relief and recovery and resiliency plans, but DEQ funding to address emerging contaminants comes up short.
Tillis: ‘Lake Mattamuskeet Needs Our Help’
Sen. Thom Tillis writes in a commentary for Ocracoke Observer that though Lake Mattamuskeet is in jeopardy, he will continue advocating for Hyde County and restoration efforts to save the lake.
FEMA Grants Available for Home Elevation
The Dare County Planning Department will host a meeting May 15 for year-round residents to learn about applying to the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
New Tsunami Research Rides on Small Waves
NOAA scientists studying meteotsunamis say learning more about these smaller tsunami-like waves that reach N.C. beaches generally unnoticed could help in forecasting storm surge and coastal flooding.
Tip of Cape Point Closes Due to Nesting
Due to a large colony of nesting least terns beginning to nest in the area, the tip of Cape Point at Cape Hatteras National Seashore closed Monday.
Storm’s Toll Sharpens Definition of ‘Resilience’
With the toll of Hurricane Florence now in sharp focus, state agencies and nonprofits are teaming to develop a plan for a more resilient coast during a two-day summit next month.
DEQ Orders New Sampling for Contaminants
The Department of Environmental Quality has ordered operators of wastewater pretreatment facilities in the Cape Fear River Basin to begin testing water flowing into their plants for 1,4 dioxane and PFAS.
Six Rehabilitated Sea Turtles Head Home
Six sea turtles were released Saturday after being rehabilitated for months by the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island’s Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation Center at the Frisco Bath House.
Patsy Pond Predator
A fledgling great horned owl watches over the Patsy Pond Nature Trail in the Croatan National Forest near Newport on an early morning last week. According to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, the great horned owl is the largest owl species in the state, so named because of the two prominent ear tufts of feathers that resemble horns.
