It’s unclear what, if any, regulatory changes may happen as a result of Hurricane Matthew’s destruction, but past storms have brought about more stringent building codes, dune ordinances and flood maps.
Coastal Sketch: Jan Harris of Sunset Beach
Jan Harris of Sunset Beach has been fighting environmental injustice for a long time, and her efforts to protect the natural beauty of her beloved beach town continue.
New Hanover Board Tables Permit Action
New Hanover County commissioners tabled on Monday a public hearing and expected vote on proposed zoning ordinance changes that included a new special-use permit for heavy industry.
‘Many’ Figure Eight Owners Haven’t Voted
As the world’s attention is focused on Election Day, a pending vote on a controversial plan to build a terminal groin on Figure Eight Island may not have generated the response proponents wanted, so far.
Plan Pitched to Allow Homes, Protect Dunes
Topsail Beach officials have proposed rule changes they say could preserve protective sand dunes while allowing home construction on lots now deemed unbuildable.
Time Granted for Figure 8 Shorebird Study
The Army Corps of Engineers has granted more time for federal wildlife officials to study the effects Figure Eight Islands proposed terminal groin will have on piping plovers.
Firm Seeks to Fill Wetlands for Retail Center
An Atlanta-based company proposes to fill federally regulated wetlands and route streams through culverts at an undeveloped site on the mainland side of Ocean Isle Beach to allow construction of a shopping center.
US 17 Bypass Plan Prompts Flooding Fears
State transportation officials are set to study a more than decade-old plan to connect U.S. 17 in Brunswick County across the state line to a South Carolina highway, but a county commissioner is among those worried about destruction of wetlands in a flood-prone area.
Figure Eight Set to Vote on Terminal Groin
Property owners on Figure Eight Island will soon receive ballots for a vote on whether to proceed with construction of a terminal groin here. Meanwhile, a letter from nearly 50 owners opposed to the project will also arrive in their mailboxes.
Groups: Ocean Isle’s Groin Application Flawed
The N.C. Coastal Federation and the Southern Environmental Law Center say Ocean Isle Beach’s permit application for a terminal groin doesn’t meet state, federal environmental requirements.
Sunset Beach Studying Plan to Dredge Canals
Officials in Sunset Beach have hired a firm to review the environmental effects of dredging creeks and man-made canals here, but some say going deeper for bigger boats is a bad idea.
Groups Want Industry to Get More Scrutiny
Environmental groups and residents have proposed changes for New Hanover County’s special-use zoning permit process that would provide the public more detail on the potential effects of industrial development.
Figure Eight Homeowner Won’t Budge
A homeowner on exclusive Figure 8 Island says he’s dead set against the terminal groin that the island’s homeowners’ association wants to build and won’t provide the needed easement.
Protecting Habitat Isn’t Always Scary
Protecting habitat that endangered species need to survive always comes with scary stories about how people will be restricted from using the land. Experts say those fears are almost always overblown.
Critical Habitats: What They Are, What They Do
Putting a plant or animal on the endangered species list isn’t enough to save it. Federal law requires that the habitat a species needs also must be protected. Yet, agencies are often slow to take this necessary step.
Corps Issues Final Study on Figure Eight Groin
The Army Corps of Engineers has released its final environmental study on Figure Eight Island’s proposed terminal groin project, and island homeowners have applied for a permit to build the structure at Rich Inlet.
