The move is on in the North Carolina General Assembly to advance bills ahead of an important deadline later this week, including measures to repeal the Outer Banks’ ban on plastic bags.
Legislature
Cape Fear Pollution Fix: Call It a ‘Swamp?’
A plan to address water quality problems in the lower Cape Fear River includes reclassifying the part of the river that flows by Wilmington and the state port as “swamp water.”
Bag Ban Repeal Wrapped Up in Controversy
State legislators’ efforts to repeal a longstanding ban on single-use plastic bags on the Outer Banks have sparked anger among residents and business owners.
Bills to Cut Streams, Shoals Regulations
The Senate and House are finalizing a set of regulatory bills that include provisions to loosen coastal environmental regulations.
Budget Boosts Clean Water, Park Trust Funds
After years of continually shrinking budgets, Gov. Roy Cooper’s spending plan breathes new life into key programs for water quality and parks.
Legislators Eye Beach Sand Funding, Rules
State lawmakers are considering ideas for ways to pay for beach re-nourishment and proposing relaxed standards for offshore sources of sand and the placement of sandbag walls.
Court Halts Cooper’s Cabinet Confirmations
A three-judge panel on Wednesday issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Legislature’s confirmation process for Gov. Roy Cooper’s cabinet appointees.
UNC Collaboratory Set to Begin Research
Studies on oyster farming and hurricane resiliency are among first batch of research projects the new North Carolina Public Policy Collaboratory at UNC-Chapel Hill is set to begin.
Who’s Trying to Kill Amazon’s Wind Farm?
Community officials in northeastern North Carolina are excited about the economic potential of the nearly operational wind farm here that a group of legislators are trying to scuttle.
New Session, Same Environmental Battles
As the 2017 session of the General Assembly begins, the House and the Senate remain divided on key environmental issues, many left over from last year, including a continued fight against renewable energy projects.
Conservatives Wary of Cooper’s DEQ Pick
A coastal legislator and conservative groups have hinted at the confirmation battle that may be ahead in the Senate, leveling criticism at Michael Regan, Gov. Roy Cooper’s pick for environmental secretary.
General Assembly: A Tale of Two Sessions
State lawmakers held two special sessions last week, unanimously approving disaster relief in one and enacting controversial limits on the incoming governor’s authority and sparking protests in the other.
Extra Session Called After Disaster Relief Vote
Leaders in the General Assembly decided to keep going Wednesday after approving a disaster recovery bill, calling another session for measures aimed at diminishing the incoming governor’s powers and loosening environmental rules.
UNC Officials Appoint Collaboratory Advisers
UNC-Chapel Hill officials have appointed seven scientists and policy experts as advisers to the N.C. Policy Collaboratory, as university faculty continue to scrutinize how the legislature’s creation will operate.
Lawmakers Fund New Policy Center at UNC
State lawmakers included in the budget passed in June millions of dollars to create a new kind of environmental research and policy center on the UNC campus.
Wind Farm Bill Got Caught in Turbulence
A bill that would have banned land-based wind farms in most of Eastern North Carolina was one of the victims of a late-session showdown between the state House and Senate. It didn’t pass, but its sponsors say they’ll be back next year.
