New Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said the agency is pursuing a definition for the waters of the United States “that is simple, that is durable and it will withstand the test of time.”
Archives
Donald Ensley: A legacy of leadership, friendship, stewardship
Founder’s commentary: Dr. Donald E. Ensley, an accomplished public health educator, environmental champion, and steadfast advocate for North Carolina’s coastal communities, is in hospice care, preparing to leave behind a legacy that will forever shape the places and people he touched.
Volunteers sought to count for coastal ‘Terrapin Tally’
The 11th annual volunteer headcount of diamondback terrapins in coastal waters from Carteret County to Brunswick County kicks off next month.
Utility industry has heavy hand in draft PFAS monitoring rule
As a committee of the Environmental Management Commission works to draft a PFAS monitoring framework rule, environmental advocates argue the draft language protects industry polluters.
World Water Day to focus on chemical pollution in Cape Fear
A World Water Day event March 22 in Wilmington will focus on PFAS and 1,4-dioxane pollution in the Cape Fear River.
5 eastern NC counties experiencing severe drought
Of the 99 counties experiencing drought or abnormally dry conditions in the state, Carteret, Craven, Jones, Onslow and Pamlico counties are classified as experiencing severe drought.
Draft plan would evenly shift southern flounder catch quotas
A draft amendment to the state’s Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan would level the catch quota 50/50 between commercial and recreational fishers a year ahead of schedule.
Commission OKs proposed wetlands rule for public comment
The Environmental Management Commission voted during its meeting Thursday to take the next step in the rulemaking process to codify an amendment directed by a 2023 session law to align the state with the federal definition of wetlands.
Top job
Paint crews work high above the deck of the NC State Port of Morehead City Thursday as a new protective coating is applied to the water tower. Photo: Dylan Ray
State’s fix for costly litter problem ‘not efficient or sufficient’
“It’s like you’re Band-Aiding over an artery,” says Rob Clark, of Cape Fear River Watch, a coauthor of a report that found that cleaning up more than 7,000 tons of litter in North Carolina cost more than $56 million in 2023.
Blue Economy Index, benchmarks reflect tariff tensions
The University of North Carolina Wilmington Blue Economy Index rose by 3.7% in February, beating the MSCI All World Index, the S&P 500, and the S&P Industrials.
Event to explore unsung African American gardening history
The North Carolina Botanical Garden is offering a virtual option for its daylong symposium on the “African American Legacy in Gardening and Horticulture” set for the last Saturday of March in Durham.
When fishermen harvested seaweed: Beaufort’s agar industry
The curiosity that sparked when historian David Cecelski came across photos taken in 1944 of fishermen harvesting seaweed near Beaufort inspired a “bit of a deep dive” into topics he never imagined studying: the history of agar, ecology of seaweed, the wartime crisis that led to seaweed harvesting and the construction of the Beaufort agar factory.
State officials: Burning trash against North Carolina law
Careless debris burning is the leading cause of wildfires in North Carolina, and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality has issued a reminder that, “If it doesn’t grow, don’t burn it.”
Link between greentails, green energy topic of next CSI talk
Dr. Lela Schlenker, fisheries liaison from Kitty Hawk Wind, will present, “What do greentails have to do with green energy? An update on the Kitty Hawk offshore wind project served with a side of shrimp” March 20 at the Coastal Studies Institute on the ECU Outer Banks Campus.
Chemours to expand well testing for PFAS contamination
About 150,000 additional private water drinking wells are eligible for PFAS testing after the state’s lead environmental agency directed Chemours’ to expand sampling in Harnett and Hoke counties.
