A controversial bill to remove three properties from Sunset Beach’s town limits couldn’t make it out of a state House committee. Meanwhile, legislators are trying to hammer out yet another bill to weaken rules before they go home for good.
Bill Marks Shoals as Sources for Beach Sand
The state Senate is considering changes to environmental laws that would allow shoals off North Carolina’s coastal capes to be tapped as sand sources for beach re-nourishment projects.
Recycling Scrapped, New Rules Capped
The North Carolina Senate approved a measure Monday that eliminates an electronics-recycling program and adds new thresholds and scrutiny for future environmental regulations.
Sunset Beach De-annexation Bill Advances
A bill to remove certain areas of Sunset Beach from the town’s corporate limits moved forward in the N.C. General Assembly Tuesday, clearing a Senate State and Local Government Committee.
Conservation Funds Boosted in Budget
The N.C. House of Representatives approved yesterday a spending plan that restores some of the conservation funds cut from the budget last year and includes a number of provisions supporting oyster revitalization efforts.
Legislators Scrutinize DEQ Legal Fund
Legislators mulling Gov. Pat McCrory’s proposed budget want state environmental officials to explain why they need additional $5 million to cover litigation expense.
Bills to Weaken Protections Are Ready
A legislative committee that is the gatekeeper for new environmental bills is ready with measures that weaken stormwater regulations and stream protections. The new session of the N.C. General Assembly starts next week.
Bond Includes $11 Million for Coastal Parks
Voters on Tuesday will consider a $2 billion bond package that includes money for 45 projects in the 41 state parks. Campground improvements, land acquisitions, visitors’ centers and boat ramps are some of the projects at coastal parks.
DEQ: No Push to Relax Buffer Rules
State environmental regulators say they don’t plan to seek legislative changes to water-quality rules this year, but a top official recently drew criticism for dismissing their effectiveness.
EPA Gets Blame for Coal-Ash Delays
Tom Reeder, assistant secretary for the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, blames EPA officials for delays in cleaning up 32 coal-ash ponds in the state.
First Come a Flood of Reports
The N.C. General Assembly ordered a bevy of studies — stormwater, beach erosion and wetlands to name a few — that are due this spring. The studies offer hints of legislation to come.
Shellfish Studies Signal New Strategy
Legislation passed this year calls for new ways to restore the state’s shellfish resources, with policy studies and reworked plans for an oyster sanctuary.
We Still Have Time, Climate Scientist Says
Michael Mann, one of the leading atmospheric researchers in the world and the author of the famed “hockey stick” graph of greenhouse gas emissions, sat down recently with us. We still have time, he says, to fix our ways.
Groups Urge Veto of Environmental Bill
Environmental groups are calling on Gov. Pat McCrory to veto a sweeping deregulation bill state lawmakers passed early Wednesday before adjourning for the year.
Next Up: Major Environmental Bill
With the state budget a wrap and Jones Street fatigue setting in, legislators will likely take up a bill this week that would roll back more environmental standards before finally calling it quits for the year.
New State Budget and the Environment
The state Senate gave final approval yesterday to a $21.7 billion state budget that includes dozens of provisions affecting coastal policy and spending, including a weakening of sandbag rules and raising the cap on terminal groins.
