Restoring oyster reefs and building marshes are good for the coastal environment and economy, bringing jobs and tax revenue to local communities, according to a recent federal study.
Groups Critical of Ports’ Wood Pellet Studies
The Ports Authority claims that wood pellet plants in Morehead City and Wilmington would have no significant effects on the environment. Others seek a more thorough evaluation.
Sutton Ponds: An Open-Ended Priority
In the last of two parts, we’ll uncover what is being done to clean up the two million tons of toxic coal ash that leaks slowly from unlined ponds at the Sutton power plant outside of Wilmington.
Sutton Ponds: A Looming Threat?
The two coal ash ponds at the L.V. Sutton power plant near Wilmington are leaking heavy metals into the groundwater and a nearby lake. We’ll take the next two days to describe what’s in the old ponds and what Duke Energy plans to do about it.
Developer Wants to Build in Old Hazard Area
Two months after the state’s controversial decision to remove an old inlet on Sunset Beach from its inlet-hazard zone, a developer announced plans to put 23 homes there.
Oldest Groin Project Gets New Location
In an attempt to appease reluctant property owners, those pushing for a terminal groin on Figure Eight Island have proposed moving it farther north.
Sales Tax Hike Not Likely to Help Build Groins
Three proposed terminal groin projects in Brunswick County aren’t likely to see much money if voters approve an increase in the county sales tax.
No Easy Answers Yet for Maintaining Inlets
The Coastal Resource Commission’s inlet management study won’t be meeting its deadline to state legislators. The results of the study will be the basis for policy decisions on a series of complex issues relating to inlets.
Report Questions Titan Dewatering
A new report sponsored by the N.C. Coastal Federation raises questions about the effects of groundwater pumping at the proposed Titan America mine near Wilmington.
The Scribes on the Bus
Eighteen journalists recently spent a week touring central and eastern North Carolina to learn about the state’s most-pressing environmental issues. Two “Coastal Review Online” reporters were among them. This is the first of their two reports.
Groups Ask Court to Dismiss State Suit
The N.C. Coastal Federation and two other environmental groups say the state’s lawsuit against tougher air-pollution regulations was filed three years too late.
Sunset Beach Wants CRC to Table Inlet Proposal
The state’s Coastal Resources Commission will take up a controversial proposal when it meets today to remove an old inlet from state rules that restrict development near inlets, but Sunset Beach wants the CRC to table it.
DENR Moves to Block Groups in Lawsuit
North Carolina environmental regulators have asked a federal judge to block environmental groups from intervening in a state lawsuit that challenges stricter federal limits on a type of harmful air pollutant.
Are These Bad for Tourism, Home Values?
Opponents of a now-dead wind farm in Carteret County claimed that the turbines would depress property values and kill tourism. We take a closer look.
Bald Head Prepares Terminal Groin Project
Bald Head Island is moving ahead with plans to build an almost 2,000-foot-long terminal groin to control erosion. A planned public hearing on the project that had been set for tonight has been cancelled.
State Taking Another Look at Inlet Rules
Regulations that control development around the state’s ever-changing and sometimes volatile inlets are being reexamined in a new study currently underway.
