NCDOT launced a new user-friendly tool for those wanting to adopt or sponsor a highway that shows routes available for cleanup in all 100 North Carolina counties.
Deal Preserves ‘Lost Colony,’ Maritime Forest
The Conservation Fund and Roanoke Island Historical Association have partnered together to preserve Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and “The Lost Colony” outdoor drama.
Short Films Highlight Offshore Drilling Fight
“Shore Stories,” six short films focused on the grass-roots resistance to offshore drilling, are set for screenings in Morehead City and Jacksonville.
Bill Would Offer Grants for Living Shorelines
A bill introduced in Congress in December would direct NOAA to award grants for living shoreline construction to protect coastal communities from erosion, storms, flooding and the effects of sea level rise.
Event, Painting to Honor Black Lifesavers
A painting honoring Capt. Richard Etheridge and his African-American crew of the U.S. Life-Saving Service Station at Pea Island is set to be unveiled Feb. 25 at a special performance of “Freedmen, Surfmen, Heroes.”
Reef Sites to Be Marked With New Buoys
The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program and Oyster Sanctuary Program is replacing the buoys used to mark reef sites in estuarine waters.
WOTUS Rule Delay Faces Another Challenge
The Center for Biological Diversity intends to sue the EPA and and Army Corps of Engineers for not considering endangered species in their proposal to delay defining “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act.
GenX Bill Stalls; DEQ Orders Chemours Action
House leaders declined Tuesday to take up the Senate’s version of a bill to address GenX contamination as DEQ ordered Chemours take new steps to halt emissions of the compound.
DEQ Seeks Input on Draft Coal Ash Rules
The Department of Environmental Quality has scheduled three meetings in February, including one in Wilmington, to get public feedback on proposed rules to better protect public health and the environment when coal ash is disposed of and recycled.
Senate Revamps Bill on GenX Funding
The Senate has rolled out a new version of House Bill 189, a measure that addresses the state’s response to GenX and other contaminants, which Senate leaders refused to consider in January.
EPA Delays Clean Water Rule By Two Years
Application of the federal 2015 “Waters of the United States” rule developed by the Obama administration has been delayed by two years, prompting Tuesday a legal challenge by conservation groups.
Cooper Seeks Hearings on Drilling Plan
Gov. Roy Cooper wrote Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Wednesday, calling for a 60-day extension for public comments and more meetings on offshore drilling and seismic testing off of North Carolina’s coast.
Survey: Majority Opposes Expanded Drilling
A recent survey shows most Americans now opposed expanded offshore drilling for oil and natural gas, with coastal residents less in favor than those farther inland.
Volunteers Needed for Shoreline Cleanup
Volunteers are needed Feb. 13 to help clean up the soundside shoreline at Fort Macon State Park in Carteret County, part of an overall effort to reduce the amount of marine debris littering coastal marshes, beaches and waterways.
Jones Asks for Offshore Drilling Meeting
Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., has asked the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to hold a public meeting in Dare County on the Interior Department’s proposed five-year offshore oil and gas leasing program.
Duke Energy Proposes Solar Rebate Program
A typical rooftop solar array would be eligible for a $4,800 rebate under a program Duke Energy has proposed to help its North Carolina customers offset the cost of installing solar panels on their property.