Tom Reeder, assistant secretary for the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, blames EPA officials for delays in cleaning up 32 coal-ash ponds in the state.
Legislature
First Come a Flood of Reports
The N.C. General Assembly ordered a bevy of studies — stormwater, beach erosion and wetlands to name a few — that are due this spring. The studies offer hints of legislation to come.
Shellfish Studies Signal New Strategy
Legislation passed this year calls for new ways to restore the state’s shellfish resources, with policy studies and reworked plans for an oyster sanctuary.
On the Road to Extinction?
State lawmakers again slashed the budget for the state’s Natural Heritage Program, a non-regulatory program that inventories rare animals and habitats, but nobody will say why.
Groups Urge Veto of Environmental Bill
Environmental groups are calling on Gov. Pat McCrory to veto a sweeping deregulation bill state lawmakers passed early Wednesday before adjourning for the year.
Next Up: Major Environmental Bill
With the state budget a wrap and Jones Street fatigue setting in, legislators will likely take up a bill this week that would roll back more environmental standards before finally calling it quits for the year.
New State Budget and the Environment
The state Senate gave final approval yesterday to a $21.7 billion state budget that includes dozens of provisions affecting coastal policy and spending, including a weakening of sandbag rules and raising the cap on terminal groins.
Environmental Bills at a Standstill
Legislators haven’t made much progress in reaching agreement on two “reform” bills that would have far-reaching effects on environmental regulations.
Senate Budget Bars Federal Energy Grants
Senate leaders have added a state budget provision that would prohibit agencies from applying for federal clean energy, efficiency and technology grants.
Coastal Stormwater Rules Redux
The state’s coastal stormwater rules were at the center of a debate this week at an unusual public hearing in the N.C. House over a bill that would weaken many environmental regulations.
Public Will Get Its Say on Regulatory Bill
A N.C. House committee, in an unusual move, will allow the public this morning to comment on a controversial state Senate bill that rolls back coastal stormwater standards and weakens a number of other environmental regulations.
A Return to Failed Rules?
Coastal stormwater rules would be rolled back to the failed standards of almost a decade ago under a sweeping reconstituted regulatory bill that is moving quickly through the state Senate and has even business-friendly regulators alarmed.
Coastal Issues Abound in Senate Budget Bill
The state Senate yesterday passed a biennial budget plan that once again contains numerous coastal provisions, including money for inlet dredging, improvements at the state ports and oyster restoration.
Bill Speeds Approval of Sewage Plants
Legislators are considering a measure to create a privatized, fast-track permit approval process for some sewage-treatment facilities that would bypass state and county agencies.
Conservation Funds Get Budget Boost
The state House begins debate today on its version of the biennial budget, which features a hefty boost in spending for conservation and clean water projects.
Q&A: What Is SEPA, How Will It Change?
What’s the purpose of the State Environmental Policy Act? And what will happen if a bill proposing changes to it passes the N.C. Senate? This Q&A helps breakdown these questions and more.