Researchers at the University of North Carolina Wilmington have identified trace amounts of GenX in rainwater collected on campus, about 70 miles from Chemours’ facility.
News Briefs
Grants Available for Public Water Access
About $1 million is available from the state Division of Coastal Management to local help governments in 20 coastal counties improve public access to coastal beaches and waters.
Carteret Board OKs Roadway Resolution
Carteret County commissioners approved on Monday a resolution stating that the preferred route for the proposed Bridges Street Extension project connect to Old Murdoch Road, thereby minimizing perceived effects on the Wildwood Community.
Hatteras Lighthouse Repaired and Beaming
Shining brightly as of Feb. 17, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse light had been off for about a month after several severe winter storms hit the area, damaging hard-to-replace parts on the lighthouse’s electrical systems.
NCDOT Launches Litter Management Tool
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.
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Under Repair
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse remains off for nearly a month while replacement parts are made from scratch. The parts have been ordered but the exact time frame of when the repair will be complete is uncertain.
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.
