A judge has blocked Topsail Beach from issuing building permits for a stretch of oceanfront lots, a move prompted by a lawsuit brought by property owners upset about the town’s recent repeal of its dune protection ordinance.
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Groups Challenge Blounts Creek Decision
The North Carolina Coastal Federation and the Riverkeeper organization Sound Rivers are seeking to reverse a recent decision to allow a mining company to discharge millions of gallons of water into Blounts Creek.
Old Christmas Trees Can Build New Dunes
There’s a better place than the landfill for your natural Christmas tree: Fort Macon State Park and some beach towns are collecting trees for use in rebuilding dunes.
Group Urges Denial of Seismic Permits
An alliance of East Coast business interests is making a last-ditch effort to protect the coast from offshore drilling, urging President Obama to deny pending permit applications for seismic testing.
Last Piece of Park Addition Finally in Place
State officials, conservationists and supporters of Hammocks Beach State Park are celebrating the recently completed purchase of 45 acres, the final transaction in the park’s 290-acre expansion.
Cooper Names Michael Regan to Lead DEQ
Gov. Roy Cooper named on Tuesday Michael Regan, a veteran of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Environmental Defense Fund, to lead the Department of Environmental Quality.
Sam’s Field Notes: The Polar Bear Connection
The effects of global warming are especially visible in the land of polar bears, as columnist Sam Bland recently witnessed, but how will the forces now affecting the arctic eventually change life on the North Carolina coast?
Our Celestial Coast: New Year Nebula
The new year begins with a good opportunity to look for the Orion Nebula, near the eastern horizon as the skies get dark and easy to see on a clear winter’s night.
Van Der Vaart Demotes Himself
State Environmental Secretary Donald van der Vaart has demoted himself to a position in the air quality division, a job apparently protected from political firing.
Bridge Work Brings Beneficial Reef Projects
Advocates say fishing and water quality will both improve thanks to a living shoreline reef under construction in Oregon Inlet and planned construction and restoration of artificial reefs in nearby waters using debris from the Bonner Bridge demolition.
Fees Rise As Demand for Recycled Items Dips
Demand for recycled materials has declined, resulting in higher costs for some local governments, where officials are considering changes, such as eliminating glass from curbside pickup.
Wood Pellet Operations Begin at Wilmington
The Enviva wood pellet export facility at the state port in Wilmington is now operating, with capacity to ship more than a million tons of the biofuel annually.
New Stormwater Rules Set to Take Effect
New state stormwater rules with a new express permitting process, the result of three years of development involving various stakeholders, are set to take effect on New Years Day.
Cape Carteret Pond Project Yields Results
The North Carolina Coastal Federation says its project to improve water quality in a tidal creek in Cape Carteret is working as designed.
Obama Blocks Drilling in Atlantic Waters
Using his authority under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, President Obama is withdrawing 3.8 million acres in the north and mid-Atlantic Ocean from offshore drilling for oil and gas, protecting an area from New England to Virginia.
Our Coast’s Food: Holiday Cheese Ball
Cheese balls may not immediately come to mind when considering holiday food traditions, but the creamy spheres covered with nuts and served with crackers are a longtime favorite on the North Carolina coast.
